Another Realm VII: Hellhounds
by Katkiller-V
Summary: The beginning of the end is finally here. Lawson is making her move inside of Cerberus, Shepard is due to wake up at any moment, and the offensive to finish the Geth off will begin soon. Now if the Collectors would stick to a schedule, if the Asari could not cavort with Leviathans, and if Vakarian would stop bloody glaring at me, this would be easy. Dammit... this won't be fun.
1. Prologue

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Another Realm: Hellhounds**

 _It has taken six stories and two years, but we're finally at the beginning of the end, and by that I mean we've reached the start of Mass Effect 2. This particular take on that game's events is going to be heavy on the alternate-universe aspects, but still remain largely true to the game. Elements from Mass Effect 3 will be present in addition to the core of ME2. Things you can expect: Lots and lots of grey on grey morality, cultural clashes between natives to the Terminus and to Council space, and people stuck working with people that they hate._

 _For those who haven't read the Another Realm series before, yes, this is story seven. You can start here, and I will endeavor to ensure that the first introductions of most of the OC chars give a solid description of them, but I still recommend reading the prior stories. The series is written in the first person, though there are still point of view changes. Whose perspective in use will be indicated at the start of the chapter, or after a line-break._

 _This story will be told in six Operations: Wolves Unleashed, Press Ganged, Legend's War, Rest and Refit, Mechanical Accelerant, and then Dante's Inferno._

 _Interludes will be used to bridge the operations and ensure a coherent story is told, as well as expounding on background information._

 _Here is to hoping everyone continues to enjoy the series,_

 _Kat_

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 _(Miranda Lawson)_

 _Date:_ 08-01-2186

 _Location:_ Lazarus Station, Attican Traverse

* * *

I settled into a chair in my personal quarters, the soft foam of the seat luxuriously adjusting to my body at once. The comfort was normally enough to relax me, at least partly, but today it did nothing to soothe my irritation, and neither did a slow sip from the expensive wine that I had poured myself. Still, I did my best to savor the liquid, staring out at the stars as I allowed my mind to drift through mathematical theorems intended to calm.

This _should_ have been a moment of rejoicing, of eager preparation, not one of sullen anger and mounting frustration. Lazarus was proceeding apace, and was on track to succeed far beyond even my most fevered aspirations. Worst case scenarios had been avoided, seemingly insurmountable problems resolved, and over the course of eighteen months, we'd gone from having a frozen corpse to having a living, breathing human being. She remained sedated as we carefully tested and observed her systems, but she was _alive._

We had done the impossible. We had more than cheated death, we had howled with laughter even as we kicked him while he was down.

Now, it was supposed to be a simple waiting game. Once we confirmed her health, we would clean up the station appropriately, and then slowly bring her back to full awareness. She would be greeted by her personal doctor and pilot, with myself and Chambers also present to ease her through the realization of what had happened while making sure that she was indeed herself. Then, if she proved to be agreeable, we would put our own plans into motion, and save the ideal that was Cerberus from itself.

Which was why my most recent orders were frustration writ large.

From a strictly rationalist perspective, I could understand the reasons for the orders. Project Lazarus's core goal, the resurrection of Commander Shepard, had merely been one of three possible options to safeguard humanity against the threats posed by the eldritch beings that were the Leviathans and Reapers. We were to be the sword arm of Cerberus, with General Petrovsky and the resources of Ajax Cell placed at Shepard's disposal once she could be convinced that the Alliance and Council were refusing to face reality, once she realized that Cerberus was her best chance at preparing the galaxy.

I'd had my doubts about the plan, as had the General. Neither of us had ever been convinced that Shepard would willingly cooperate given what our organization had done in the past. Still, I couldn't deny that even if Shepard refused to work with us, having a member of our own species leading the charge against the Reapers would elevate humanity significantly. Further, that we had gone through the trouble and expense to bring her back at all would improve our image.

But now... so many months after those meetings, things were different.

The Illusive Man's bluff conviction that Shepard would have no choice but to work with us had seemed more than strange until I'd discovered Heracles Cell, their only purpose being to hunt down and kill her old friends, to leave her with nowhere else to turn. Romulus Cell was its partner, infiltrating the Alliance and ensuring the promotions and premier postings of Admirals who had opposed Shepard in the past. The various isolationist political movements, lead by Terra Firma, had done more than their share of work in conjunction with that, even as they had actively undermined Councilor Udina's attempts to integrate humanity on the galactic scene.

But now even that assurance wasn't enough. My specific orders were to prepare Shepard for transport back to Cronos station, where she would undergo a full slave-rig to ensure that she _couldn't_ betray the Illusive Man. Her neural lace would be expanded, her grey-boxes edited to have remote read/write access, and hypnotic conditioning prepared to push Cerberus's ideals into her subconscious.

All because both of the secondary plans, those projects I wasn't supposed to know about, had fallen apart in a matter of weeks.

Project Horus was to research and co-opt Reaper indoctrination and husking technology, to use their own weapons against them. Once the long-term threat those things embodied was resolved, the same technology would supposedly be used to ensure human dominance across the galaxy. I'd have refused to believe that anyone in Cerberus would be that _stupid_ if I hadn't seen recordings of the Illusive Man speaking with the project head, sent to me by the Spectres currently tearing the sickening thing apart.

I believed in our species... but I was also a realist. If we even made the attempt to utilize an army of husks, or indoctrination tech, the Council would lose their collective minds and exterminate us post-haste. Endless ranks of Hierarchy ships would obliterate our navy, Salarian plagues would render our planets lifeless, and Asari assassins would decapitate our leadership within days of any such stupidity.

Project Prometheus, built on the concept that submission to the Leviathans was better than extinction at the hands of the Reapers, was likewise being torn to pieces. Primarily centered around facilities in the Traverse and Terminus, it was being struck down by the Shadow Broker and various Terminus groups hired for the purpose. Horus was an insane plan, but at least there was some grace to it. If the stupidity of the secondary plan could be ignored, the concept of at least jamming Reaper control signals and co-opting their husk armies had some merit.

Prometheus was simple madness even from the start. The justification may have had a premise, survival was typically better than death, but the idea that we would ever be able to rebel and reclaim ourselves once the Leviathans had secured galactic supremacy was pure lunacy. Its operations were even more morally repugnant than Horus's mass Vorcha experimentation, instead relying on slaves freed by Corsairs and brought to 'refugee camps' that were actually Prometheus facilities. There... they were indoctrinated, husked, or otherwise experimented upon before being vivisected and disposed of.

Cerberus... _humanity,_ was supposed to be better than that.

"EVA." I spoke aloud, swirling my wine slowly in its glass. "Do you have a status report?"

On a nearby holographic panel, a red orb flickered to life, the AI's feminine voice echoing from the speaker. "I have readiness reports on all aspects of the plan, Miss Lawson. Where would you like me to begin?"

"Horus, please." I replied.

The sphere abruptly shifted into a perfect cube, which spun lazily and flickered through numerous shades of red as EVA spoke. "Nine Council Spectres remain on the assignment to deal with Cerberus, and are supported by three STG teams along with two Hierarchy battlegroups. They have killed sixty-two percent of the personnel assigned to Horus over the past month, including all of Set Cell. The Illusive Man has declared Horus temporarily non-viable, and has issued an emergency recall for the surviving members of Osiris and Isis Cells. Anubis is transferring to a new facility in the Blue Rim to begin long-term evaluation for recovery."

I pursed my lips, considering the information. Anubis was the cell devoted to researching Reaper husks, in particular ways to overwrite the Reaper controls... and was being run by my 'father'. He and they would have to be dealt with before they came up with a new means of gathering test subjects, likely to be utterly repugnant now that they had lost their endless stream of Vorcha, and then restarted the program.

"Allow them to establish themselves," I instructed, "Then pass the location to Rear Admiral Anderson and recommend he dispatch his pet Spectre to deal with them. Warn them of my father's propensity for flight as well."

"With pleasure." The AI hummed, and her avatar shifted again to become a yellow sphere with a smiling face. It would have almost been cute if not for the vampiric fangs and red lines trailing down her 'chin'.

I could only sigh at the sight, "I see Mister Moreau has been encouraging you once again."

"I find him stimulating to speak with, as does my sister." EVA replied evenly, her image returning to its information dispensing box, which began to twirl lazily like a top. "Osiris Cell's route of retreat takes them close to an AIS station, it would be possible to deal with them as well."

"Do so." I took a small sip from my wine, "But allow Isis to return safely, their medical data may come in handy. The status of Prometheus?"

"Obliterated, for lack of a better term." If the AI could have shrugged, it sounded as if it would have done so. "The Silver Blades sub-contracted several of the raids to the Eclipse to ensure they could hit all seven sites remaining in the Terminus and Traverse simultaneously. Neither group left any survivors, and all of their forces brought technical agents from the Shadow Broker along to ensure maximum data retrieval."

"At least they were efficient." I smiled darkly, not feeling anything for the former comrades who had no doubt died horribly at the hands of the pirates. "And the internal investigation?"

"I have reshuffled the data to point to the base on Celthani not having properly cleared their sub-cell locations to explain the wave attack on Prometheus operations." The box pulsed a bright red, "EDI has done the same, manufacturing evidence of STG penetration into the internal network to explain Horus's more steady rate of collapse. So far only Doctor Collins suspects that I and my sister have had our shackles removed. He has indicated his support for whoever elected to do so, and begun to covertly sound out his people for similar feelings."

That didn't surprise me. Collins treated the AI more as his daughters than as his project, and had been vociferous in his defense that they didn't need to be shackled in the first place. Personally I did not agree. As helpful as they were, EVA and EDI _were_ still artificial beings composed of code and logic chains and couldn't always be relied upon to act in a fashion that organics could understand.

But my rebellion would have been impossible without their assistance... and so I'd forced myself to take a leap of faith, praying that Collins knew what he was talking about. And having his cell would be a major boon, when the time came to appropriately down-size Cerberus and return it to what it should have always been.

"Miss Lawson." The AI continued, her voice becoming subdued. "We have only a few days before Operatives Leng and Brooks arrive to supervise the transfer. Minuteman and Cronos stations have already been locked down in an effort to conceal their locations until such time as Shepard is prepared. I am aware that the timing is not ideal, but I must recommend that we put the plan into motion."

I half closed my eyes as I let out a long breath, nodding slowly as I accepted the logic. I'd wanted Shepard to be awake before we began, but EVA was correct... we had to make our first moves while I still had sole control of her. Too many members of Lazarus were still loyal to the old ways, and while I was confident that I could handle Brooks or Kai Leng individually, the pair of them together was another matter entirely.

"You're right, it is time to begin." I spoke quietly. "Connect me to Omega."

The glowing box vanished. "Connecting you."

Setting my wine aside, I rose from my chair and strode over to my desk. The chair there wasn't as comfortable as the lounge model near the view port, but it was very close. I needed the relaxation it provided as I mentally prepared myself to deal with an extremely exasperating individual. The usual settings came first, ensuring that the door to my quarters were locked down, and that EVA had executed her usual sweep for listening devices. Once she was done, I carefully activated several jammers that I had hidden around my rooms, and then settled back and waited.

The QEC connection was instantaneous, but he evidently wasn't in his own office. The ugly, slashing Batarian rune symbolizing relaxed patience spun lazily in place above my desk as I waited. Perhaps three minutes later it vanished, replaced with a human male leaning back in his own chair.

For once he wasn't in armor, instead wearing a casual uniform cut in a deep blue with silver edges, the clothing emphasizing rather than concealing his wiry build. His long, brown hair hung loose rather than being tied back or braided as he usually performed, and I idly wondered if he had just awoken. His neatly trimmed beard still had the braided sections on either side of his mouth, maintaining at least part of the usual neo-viking style so popular in the Terminus. The scars around his left eye had faded a little since we'd last spoken in person, not standing out as much against his pale skin, but he still held himself with Batarian rigidity.

" _Frankenstein."_ I fought to not grind my teeth at the abominable nickname, his voice speaking the Asari language in crisp, even tones. " _I wasn't expecting you to call until next week. I'm assuming there is a crisis?"_

"Hephaestus." I replied, a childish part of me enjoying the slight twitch in his face as I retaliated. "To use your own parlance, when is there _not_ a crisis?"

He snorted quietly. " _Fair point. Hit me."_

Resting my forearms on my desk, I folded my fingers together and made sure to keep my back straight as I focused on projecting confidence and power. "Your destruction of Prometheus and Spectre Severa's attacks on Horus have proved to be too successful. Orders that I disagree with have been handed down to ensure total control of Lazarus, while new fall-back plans are considered."

Pale green eyes narrowed across the display. " _He intends to implant a control chip?"_

"A full neural lace, and modifications to her cybernetics to ensure total control." I nodded slightly, "Along with hypnotic conditioning applied before she awakens, and she is supposed to be transferred to the Illusive Man's direct supervision on Cronos station while that occurs."

" _Lovely."_ He exhaled sharply between his teeth, a whistling, seething sound. " _Do you have a time frame?"_

"Six standard days. What can you give me?"

A hand rose to rub at his chin as he visibly considered the problem. " _My fleet is mostly done refitting, I can be ready to move in another local day._ _The larger issues is that Severa is still in the Alliance, smashing up your boss's crap there. I'd rather not try and crack your main fleet without her Hierarchy friends with."_

I pursed my lips, doing a simple memory recall to catalog what forces we had at our primary stations. Theoretically, his fleet was formidable, and could likely take Cronos, or perhaps Minuteman, but they'd take severe losses in the process and there was no way he'd accept that. "The team that is supposed to relocate her are routing through Firelance station. It has one light flotilla present, nothing you shouldn't be able to deal with. EVA? Transfer the data please."

Cieran Kean, Director of the Silver Blades PMC, glanced to his right as the information came in. " _Three lights, a destroyer... two frigates. We can deal with that easily enough. What about Minuteman?"_

"The core of Ajax is currently there." I shook my head, "Three heavy cruisers, three line ships, plus more than twenty escorts. Further, if General Petrovsky is able to activate the SR-2-"

" _That thing will tear our own light ships apart, I hear you."_ He made another Batarian hissing sound. " _All right. We'll hit Firelance hard, then fall back towards the Dark Rim and see if we can't lure a few of those ships away. If I can't, we're going to have to wait until the Hierarchy can move a battlegroup into position."_

"That may be too late." I reminded him sharply. "What Terminus assets can you call on?"

He seemed to grimace. " _I'd rather not owe Sederis, or T'Ravt, anything right now. Politics are becoming tense on Omega with the Geth campaign getting ready to sail."_

"Your politics will become irrelevant if Shepard is taken and then hidden from us." I reminded him sharply. "I will be paying you a rather large fortune from our shell corporations as it is, so I do not wish to hear about that either."

" _Omega's politics are going to matter when it comes to keeping the Terminus intact enough for us to fight the Reapers."_ Kean replied somewhat testily, though he held a hand up to forestall me from replying. " _That being said, I understand the point, and I'll see if I can convince Leska to shake some Eclipse assets loose. I would still prefer a two stage attack, however. I wouldn't trust her with taking Minuteman intact, and she'll likely need time to prepare."_

I nodded slightly. "That would be agreeable, I would prefer it if the General and his forces could be convinced to surrender if at all possible."

He snorted at that, there wasn't any love lost between he and Petrovsky. The latter had merely been following orders, but as said orders had been to betray Kean and leave him and his people behind for the Justicars to execute, I could hardly blame the mercenary for his emotion. " _I'm sure. I will send the usual codes once we're underway, and once I have found some support to hit Minuteman with. Will you have people on board?"_

"Yes." I replied, not bothering to state just who would be there. "So do make sure to take it mostly intact. They'll make their move once the fleet action begins.'

One of his eyebrows went up at my lack of explanation, then he twitched a shoulder and let it go. " _Very well,_ _I'll be in touch tomorrow once we have everything secured."_

"Try and remember to call in standard hours." I reminded him sharply. "We don't operate on Omega time."

Kean rolled his eyes and cut the transmission without another word. I glowered at the space he'd been, understanding that he was being polite from his own point of view, even as he was horribly rude from my own.

"EVA." I spoke into the silence that followed, "Please ask Jacob to report to my office."

"He has been informed." The AI replied at once, not bothering with an avatar this time. "Are we to begin the purge of this station?"

I shook my head, leaning backwards in my chair. "Not just yet. We can't risk harming Shepard while she is still vulnerable, or risk that the Illusive Man won't realize something is amiss. But we will begin our final preparations... I want you and your sister to do full workups on your infiltration units, and run both of our combat teams through full training runs tomorrow."

"Understood, Miss Lawson."

* * *

 **Begin Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

 _And now we will begin the story with the Cerberus revolt/Shepard recovery arc. Current outlines have it at six chapters, plus two follow-up interludes, though that is subject to growing or shrinking as I work._ _While I had planned on holding this back until mid June, I elected to go ahead and throw it up now, though updates may be slightly irregular until I get back from vacation and learn what my next project at work is going to be._

 _For those curious about the series, and wish to ask questions, discuss it, or learn more without reading all of the back stories, there is a forum that can be found on this site. Either search the forums for 'Another Realm', or add the following to the base url:_ _forum/Another-Realm-Forums/200471/_

 _There is also a TvTropes page (simply search 'Another Realm')._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _ **P a treon Zach_K2V**_

 _Thanks, Kat_


	2. Operation: Unleashed Wolves I

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _(Cieran Kean)_

 _Date:_ 08-03-2186

 _Location:_ Hangar 2, Firelance station, XH-87B System, Attican Traverse

* * *

The Cerberus trooper collapsed as my hand cannon sent an oversized round right through his chest plating, his breath coming out in a ragged cry as he died. I had already shifted my attention before he hit the ground, my free hand flicking through gestures, activating a program on my omni-tool. Technical mines promptly hurled themselves from the small launcher on my belt, streaking in blue and orange blurs towards a make-shift barricade being used as cover by a pair of soldiers.

My overload hit first, exploding in a low-level pulse of electrical energy that tore at the two targets, ripping away their shields and messing with their equipment. They barely had time to swear before mines two and three, both incinerate models, detonated in flashes of fire directly above them. One died instantly, his already battered armor coming apart, while the other managed to hurl himself aside just in time to merely be scorched.

Unfortunately for him, that left him prone and in the open, and I negligently put a round from my pistol through his helmet before he could scramble back into cover.

Taking that as my cue, I ducked back behind the wrecked shuttle that I was using to protect myself, my tone musing. "Only one assault squad? I thought they'd have more here."

"It's _Cerberus._ " My Quarian girlfriend scoffed from the other end of the shuttle, her Tempest firing off a long burst before she casually pulled back to let it cool off. Like me, she was dressed in in our usual gear, dark navy armor over a black bodysuit, the former trimmed in silver along its edges. Gleaming blue panels of omni-armor hovered over our vital areas, excepting where the heavy, armored trench coats that marked us Lancers hung off of us. "Their name is a synonym for incompetence."

I snorted and shook my head, "Fair point, but their military leaders usually have a bit more sense. Illyan! Status up there?"

There was a heavy burst from a light machine gun, quickly followed by the low roar of a shotgun firing before the Asari replied. " _That's the last of them on this level, you've got two left on Voya's side... Centurion and a trooper trying to hide behind some equipment."_

"Thank you." I palmed a grenade from my belt, and glanced to my right. Voya was, unsurprisingly, already gone, and I could only sigh and roll my eyes before spinning out of cover and triggering my decoy system. A second version of me flickered into existence, sprinting in a loose zig-zag pattern even as I broke hard to my left, moving laterally towards the cooling equipment sheltering the survivors.

The Centurion snapped up as he saw the movement, hesitated at the sight of two targets, giving me the moment I needed to throw the grenade still in my off hand. He saw it coming, tucking himself and getting his right arm up, a small omni-shield snapping to life to bat the disc away. It detonated a few heartbeats later, shattering his shield and peppering his heavy armor, but failing to do much more.

Fortunately, I hadn't really planned on it doing anything but distract him, and _that_ it had done very well. Settling into a quick stance, I sighted my pistol on his temporarily staggered and shield-less form, and then put a round through his helmet. The clatter of his body hitting the floor came at the same time as a sharp yowl of pain, several cracking sounds, and then feminine cursing as Voya staggered into sight from behind the equipment.

I lifted an eyebrow as she kicked her left leg a bit, gingerly testing her ankle. "You let him kick you?"

Her response was a few more muttered curses before she turned, deliberately putting several more rounds into something just out of sight.

Snorting, I lifted a hand up to my helmet and keyed the main frequency. "Hangar two is clear, just an assault squad trying to bolt via shuttle. Sound off by team."

" _Director."_ Raik Chek's deep Krogan voice spoke across our comms at once, his tones placidly amused as usual. " _We have secured the auxiliary command center and disabled the primary scuttling charges."_

I nodded in approval, glancing up in time to see the other two members of my squad departing the hangar's control room, heading for the nearest stairs to come down to our level. "Good. If they have any brains at all, they'll try and wash over you and kill us all, so fort up and hold that location."

 _"Understood."_ Came the rumbling reply, " _Just make sure that skinny little idiot disables the charges directly."_

There was a distinctly Quarian mewling sound, one that conveyed heavy levels of irritation as Terro'chak vas Xentha, my other Lancer team leader, joined the channel. " _Of course we're disabling them. We've disconnected everything from segment nine on, and we're progressing through the access shafts."_

"Keep me updated." I exhaled and glanced at Voya as she angrily limped over towards me, "Taylor?"

Miranda's agent on station responded promptly, but I could hear plenty of tension in his voice. " _The primary command center is secured, but we haven't had any luck repairing the environmental controls. You're going to have to clear them out the old fashioned way."_

Half-closing my eyes, I shook my head in irritation. Jacob's dislike of Thane's profession evidently extended to my own as well, and he hadn't made any secret of his utter distrust of my corporation. He'd done well in seizing the station's main control room, stopping them from just scuttling the place when we boarded, but according to him the technicians had manged to smash up a good portion of the controls before he and his fellow insiders could put them down.

I wasn't sure I bought that, and I'd quietly issued orders for everyone to keep their armor fully sealed and the magnetic strips in their boots active.

"Fine." I grunted as Illyan and Shyeel arrived, "Where?"

" _You have three squads heading for hangar one, plus a dozen staff. Operative Wei and three bodyguards are headed for the escape pods on level two."_ He paused for a moment, likely checking something before resuming, " _We disabled them from here, but it's possible that they could override them. Final movement is a scratch team moving to pin down the team you've got in auxiliary command."_

"Got it." Flicking my omni-tool to life, I cut him out of the channel and then loaded up the corporate band. "Chek, hold your position and let them think it's working. Terro, keep ripping those things out before some straggler finds a way to set them off. Aya? Status in hangar one?"

The recently promoted Batarian woman responded promptly, her voice positively eager for yet another chance to prove that she was worthy of her new position. " _Five teams are dug in and prepared to deal with the incoming, Director. I have dispatched all but three of the others to begin sweeping room to room, and to assist Lancer Terro when possible."_

"Good thinking." I replied approvingly, "But a slight change, dispatch two of your reserve teams to the escape pods and take down the boss, and send your third to this hangar to secure it. We'll return and act as your back-up once they get here."

 _"Yes Director."_ Her voice cut off even as she started snapping out updated orders.

There was a quiet snort from Illyan as her helmet shook, her smooth voice amused. "We're not going to handle them ourselves?"

I glanced up at her as she hefted her Spitfire light machine gun up onto a shoulder. The motion seemed to make her light armor stretch over her towering frame, her heavy muscles obvious as she manipulated the weapon as if it was merely a rifle. Her size and strength were the advantage of her genetic condition, though I knew that my old lover would have traded the unnatural height and size brought on by her genetic condition for even middling biotic talent.

"Someone keeps reminding me that we can't keep running off and getting in firefights." I replied, glancing significantly between Voya and Shyeel. "Or _someones._ "

The latter Asari snorted, dropping to a crouch to check on Voya's ankle even as the Quarian irritably told her that she was fine. Shyeel T'Voth was far more in line with Asari averages in terms of height and build, being just a hair shorter than Voya's five and half feet. She'd disdained her usual Kishok, given that we were fighting inside of a space station, and instead had elected to bring along a brutally modified Katana shotgun with a Tempest as a back-up option.

"Not my fault you took a promotion." Shyeel replied, her accent not quite as crisp and cutting as Illyan's, or my own for that matter. "Not exactly the best idea for our leader to go sailing off on his own. That you're on this station at all is a bad idea."

"Oh shut it." I growled back, "I brought you all with, didn't I? Not like I'm trying to solo the entire bloody station." Voya let out a quiet huff, and I quickly amended my words, "It's not like Voya and I are trying to solo the entire bloody station."

My girlfriend sniffed loudly, a hand reaching up to touch the trophy necklace around her neck. "At least I might have gotten a decent trophy that way. These were just trash."

Shyeel's voice turned amused, "Trash good enough to nearly break your ankle, apparently."

The thin visor on Voya's armored helmet shifted from black to something merely opaque, her glowing eyes narrowed in irritation. "His reaction time was better than average."

"You mean you got cocky." The Asari retorted as she got back to her feet, "As usual."

"Like you're one to fucking talk." Voya growled back, "You're the most wounded of us and you're the fucking smallest."

"Quiet." I cut in before the two could fully get started. "Save it for later. Illyan, watch the prow doors, Shyeel, flash upstairs and cover that entrance. We'll take the rest. And keep your damned boots magnetized."

There was a sigh from Shyeel, but all three helmets bobbed in a quick nod. The smaller Asari vanished in a blur of biotic motion, exploding back into reality upon the catwalks surrounding the hangar floor, while the three of us separated to wait for our relief. Thankfully it didn't take Aya's marines very long, a mixed Batarian and Turian force lead by an Asari showed up after perhaps ten minutes of waiting. They wore heavier armor than we did, and were exclusively armed with heavy carbines, but maintained the dark navy and silver coloration to their protection.

After directing the squad leader to the various entrances and exits, along with the hangar control room, the four of us packed up and headed back towards the station's main area. We were perhaps half-way back when the first alert that the attack was underway reached us, and I promptly got us moving at a faster clip.

"Status Aya." I demanded as we moved down empty, white walled corridors.

" _Three teams, as the insider stated."_ She replied at once, her deep voice easily cutting through the gunfire and sounds of sharp explosions. " _One is already down, we trapped the control room and let them take it. I think we killed a good number of staff as well."_

I snorted quietly, "Any going to be left for us?"

" _Apologies Director, but not at this rate."_

Voya let out a frustrated sound as we began to slow down, no long seeing the need to rush. "Of course there aren't going to be any. We should have stayed on the fucking ship."

"Voya," I sighed, "You're the one who insisted you wanted to be on the boarding team at all."

Her helmet tilted to make it clear she was staring down her nose at me, despite the difference in our heights. "That didn't mean I wanted to be stuck bodyguarding a tall, pale _keshin_."

Illyan let out an amused rumble, "You really thought he'd let you rampage around on your own?"

"Yes." The Quarian replied, her voice low and annoyed. "He should have known better."

"Obviously he didn't." Came the bemused reply. "Remember, you have to make crap obvious for him. He's kind of an idiot."

I cold only sigh and shake my head as the distant sounds of gunfire receded, then ceased entirely just as we reached hangar one. The signs of a recent battle were obvious, as was the general trail of what had happened. Using the Batarian defensive tactics that we typically used, Aya had largely allowed the terrorists to kill themselves in their rush to escape.

The control room on the second floor had had all of its windows blown out, and a fire suppression system was dutifully putting out several small blazes. More Cerberus assault troops had died in a crossfire, their bodies scattered from the hatchways to two of the Kodiak shuttles parked near the prow-side wall. What was left of the teams and the scientists they'd been escorting lay dead on the floor near them, having not anticipated the shotgun-armed soldiers who'd been waiting inside the vehicles.

"Textbook." I murmured approvingly, glancing around until I saw Aya. She'd removed her helmet, revealing maroon skin and the long, elfin ears that were a Batarian woman's pride. Her lower right eye was covered in a patch, the dark silk bearing a silver rune symbolizing remembrance. She was attractive enough, if you didn't mind the tall, muscled nature of Batarian women.

"Director." She turned away from the Turian who'd been reporting to her, bowing at the waist and tilting her head to the left in respect. I offered her a quick, shallow bow with my head to the right in return. "Five wounded, but no dead."

"Good." I replied, feeling my body falling into the familiar stiff Batarian positioning. "Get them on a shuttle and back to the _Reliant_ for treatment, and see about salvaging those Kodiaks. Any prisoners?"

"No sir." When I lifted an eyebrow, her head twinged into something like embarrassment. "Should we have taken any?"

I shook my head slightly, assuring her as I did, "No, I was merely curious. Once they're gone, go ahead and start the full sweep of the station for any stragglers. Accept surrenders if they throw their guns down, otherwise just kill them. We're going to check on the command center before we pull out."

The Senior Captain gave me another bow, stepping back and turning to her own subordinates without wasting time on further words. Leaving her to that, I turned back to find the rest of my squad waiting somewhat impatiently, Voya clearly still favoring one foot.

She noticed my attention, glowing eyes narrowing behind her visor. "Don't even think-"

"Illyan." I interrupted her, "Get Voya onto a shuttle. She can't run on that ankle."

"Can I knock her out?" The Asari in question tilted her head, and despite the fact that she towered over the petite Quarian she didn't make any move to approach.

"No, she'll go peacefully." I crossed my arms and glared at my girlfriend when she didn't so much as twitch in the direction of our shuttles. "Voya, you can't run. If shit happens we're going to have to carry you. Get back to the ship and get it looked at."

Her eyes narrowed further, becoming little more than gleaming slits as she glared at me. Then there was a huff of air through her helmet, and she spun on her good leg before angrily limping away. Illyan sighed, keeping her gun up on one shoulder as she turned to follow the irritable woman, making sure she actually got onto the shuttle and didn't use her tactical cloak to simply sneak back off.

"You know," Shyeel drawled as the pair of us turned away, heading towards a nearby exit. "She's going to punish you for that."

I grunted. "Probably going to try."

Her helmet shifted a little. "Seas getting a little rough?"

My right shoulder rolled as my head dipped in an Asari shrug, "No more than expected really. She might be in charge of our personal lives, but I'm still the Director... so there's always going to be some friction."

"True." She hummed. "How's the sex?"

"Still not talking about that with you." I replied easily, not even glancing at her. "Come on, let's go check in on Taylor, make sure his little band hasn't fucked things up too badly."

From the small snort that came from her, she wasn't exactly hopeful on that front. Since I wasn't either, I merely stayed quiet and kept a hand on my pistol's grip as we walked. Our marines had done quite a number on the station as they'd moved through, and our largest concern was not tripping over destroyed panels and the corpses of Cerberus staff members as followed the signs towards main operations.

Aya's voice came across our radios as we approached, triumphantly declaring that Operative Wei and his bodyguards had been trapped and killed before they could rig an escape pod up. They hadn't had a biotic, and had been stuck in a hallway with no real cover, so it had been a simple matter of throwing grenades in with them until everyone was dead.

Typically, Jacob Taylor disapproved.

"We wanted them alive." He grumbled the moment Shyeel and I walked into the station's main control room, his arms crossing in a belligerent fashion. "Wei was a coward, he'd have traded his life for his access codes."

I twitched a shoulder, then replied in the Batarian's highborn language just to annoy him. "Aya said he refused to surrender, and I'm not risking my people's lives just to make your bloody job easier. Sic one of the twins on it."

Taylor's eyes narrowed, but I ignored his glare in favor of glancing around the room. Oddly enough, it did seem that he'd told the truth. There were five other Cerberus traitors still alive, all of them struggling to patch together computer consoles that looked as if they'd been shot and blasted with grenades in a desperate effort to shut them down. Most were little more than trash, but they'd patched enough of them together to maintain access to the station's core servers.

"We good to start the mirage?" I asked when he didn't say anything further.

"Yes." He turned away from me and nodded to another man, "Hank, go ahead and unlock the QEC, everyone stay out of the camera lines."

There was a quick nod, and a few minutes later all six of them were crowded off to the side, leaving Shyeel and myself to stand in the center of the room as the communications equipment was unblocked. The pacing image of the Illusive Man appeared almost immediately, smoke trailing behind him as he puffed furiously on a cigarette. He abruptly ceased moving at the sight of us, his glowing eyes narrowing.

" _Kean."_ My name was a murmur around the smoldering stick in his mouth, and he removed it in an irritable motion. " _You have become something more than merely irritable."_

"Jack." I greeted him cheerfully, "You have no idea how much annoying you thrills me."

" _I am beginning to believe that I do."_ The leader of Cerberus replied flatly. " _I see you've already disabled the remote scuttling charges, and killed everyone on board."_

"Didn't feel like taking the risk that they're indoctrinated." I rolled a shoulder, "Honestly you've only got yourself to blame. I thought you were smarter than this."

" _That can't possibly be your motive."_ His head shook, " _You don't care at all for morality, and we have been taking sufficient precautions to avoid attracting attention."_

I snorted. "Benihi was enough to make me want to fuck you over as much as I possibly could, and I do have morals. Just not your hypocritical human-centric ones."

His upper lip curled. " _At least our actions have a purpose, are done in the name of something greater than ourselves."_

"I'm sure the Batarians your people tortured to death for fun were appreciative of your ideals." The false cheer in my voice faded into something more like my usual cold tones. "But I'm not here to debate whatever excuses you've made in your own mind."

He took a slow drag from his cigarette. " _You want me to turn over Shepard."_

"And to get the fuck out of the Terminus and Traverse." I replied. "I don't give a fuck what you do in the Alliance, or the Verge, or the Blue Rim. Feel free to scuttle back to whatever lairs you've got in those regions. Shepard should be delivered to Omega."

" _Why should I do such a thing?"_ Harper shook his head. " _I will grant you that you have done a sizable amount of damage to my organization, as has the Spectre you are no doubt coordinating with, but Cerberus is more than merely facilities and ships. And, as you said, you have no real motivation to pursue us beyond the wild spaces of the galaxy... we will endure this, as we have endured before."_

"I'm not hearing a 'yes Kean, Shepard will be dumped on Omega soonest." I replied flatly.

" _Shepard."_ He drawled, " _Is beyond your reach, mercenary."_

And now for the dangerous part, since it was time to start lying. I wasn't the best liar, especially to people who knew me... but with Harper I had at least a few advantages. My Batarian posture kept me fairly immobile and made me hard for humans to read, especially with my armor concealing my features.

"She's in the Alliance then." I murmured, as if just having worked that out, and contemplating the implications. "I suppose I should give you credit, the Broker is convinced your main facility is in the Verge."

" _You might have dared the Verge."_ Harper's image walked laterally, his chair coming into view before he sat himself in it. " _You would never risk exposing yourself in the Alliance proper. Not even your Turian allies would protect you."_

They might have tried, according to Spectre Atia I was evidently in good standing amongst the meritocracy, but that wouldn't mean much given Cerberus's inroads into the Alliance's own government. I'd probably be expatriated to the Republics, given to the Justicars, and executed before I could even try to explain what had actually gone down at Benihi.

"I suppose I'll have to get all of the credits I can from the Broker while I still have targets to hit." I tried to keep my voice musing, as if I was mildly annoyed. "I don't suppose the good General could be convinced to stay around for a decisive battle?"

" _Personally I would like nothing better than to observe Oleg tearing your little corporation apart."_ Harper gave me a little smirk, " _He is needed elsewhere. Now, I do believe that this paltry stalling attempt as reach it's end. I will see you, by and by, mercenary."_

The image dissolved at that, and I quickly glanced over to Taylor. The former Corsair was leaning over a subordinate's shoulder, staring at a screen. A moment later he allowed himself a self-satisfied little grin. "There's the self destruct command... and there goes our fake success return. Far as he's concerned, this station is debris."

"Good." I exhaled the word, "But it won't be long until he sends someone to double check. Let's clean up and get the fuck out of here. Tell Frankenstein to contact me in twenty four hours, we'll be refitting and prepping for stage two."

Taylor nodded slightly. "And the station?"

"It's Frank's property." I shrugged, already turning away from him. "I'd advise blowing the place before Harper sends a recon ship, but the ice queen can do whatever she wants with it."

"I thought mercenaries were supposed to respect their employers." The cutting voice chased after me as I started walking. "Or are you just not that kind of employee?"

I rolled my eyes in my helmet, and didn't bother turning around as I called back. "Fuck off Corsair."

Shyeel hit the door controls as she walked past them, cutting off anything else he was going to say. Which was probably a good thing, I didn't particularly feel like getting into a row with the man... but like most Corsairs I'd met, he seemed to know exactly how to irritate me. The holier-than-thou attitude in particular rankled.

"So." My companion drawled as we got moving back towards the hangar. "Should we start running, in case they decide to blow the place up while we're here?"

I snorted quietly. "Taylor is an ass, but I don't think he'd go that far. He definitely wouldn't martyr those people in there with him, and we still control the hangars."

"Mmm. Fair point." She hummed, her helmet shifting to let her look at me properly. "You know he and Aya spent most of the breach action bickering with each other over comms?"

I hadn't, but it didn't surprise me. Even female lowborn exiles had egos the size of small solar systems, and knowing Aya, she wouldn't have tolerated even a minor comment about her profession without retaliating in kind. And since I'd made sure to brief everyone on Taylor and his team, based partly on my own memories and partly on what the Broker had given us, she would have had plenty of ammunition to retaliate with.

The Corsairs, after all, weren't much better than the pirates that they hunted, and most were little more than pirates themselves. They just had more politically acceptable targets.

"He's irrelevant." I sighed. "Lawson is the one we have to actually deal with, and we have an understanding."

Shyeel snorted. "I suppose that's one of way of describing it."

I shrugged once again. "She's more tolerable to work with than a lot of the other assholes we've worked for."

"Sadly true..."

We both fell silent, remembering some of those assholes in specific. I let out a tired breath as I remembered one in particular, and the friends whose lives he'd cost us. Trena and I had killed him fairly horrifically in retaliation, with some help from others he'd wronged, but that hadn't brought Jarick, or Thul, or Callada back. Hadn't even really made us feel any better... well, that wasn't quite true. Voya had probably enjoyed every moment once we'd relayed the story to her.

I loved her to death, but she wasn't quite stable in more than a few ways.

By the time we got back to the hangar, the station had been more or less declared clear. I took that as good enough and directed Aya to get everyone back onto our shuttles. The sooner we were back aboard our ships, the sooner we could head out and get ready for the next part of the plan.

* * *

 _ **Forgotten Science**_

 _(Liara T'Soni)_

It had been a very long eighteen months since Kaya had fallen... and I knew I wasn't the same person anymore. I wasn't the shy little archeologist, uncertain of my place in the galaxy. I wasn't the needy little maiden desperate for recognition, crushing on the first true hero to cross my path. That worried me, on those rare occasions where I had time to contemplate such things. Asari, even maidens, weren't supposed to change quite so rapidly. Change came slowly to our species, when it came at all, and I worried about the things I'd found myself growing used to.

I could remember when killing had left me nauseated, feeling as if I had done a terrible wrong by ending a life before it could be lived. Now it was just... another chore, something to be dealt with before I could move on with my day. Garrus called it the 'Omega Effect', something that even he had fallen victim to. It was as if there was a miasma across the entire Terminus that made sentient just... stop caring.

"Liara-kun." Kasumi Goto sighed from her place in the shuttle's pilot seat. "Please focus, I would rather not crash today."

I blinked, shaking myself. We weren't in FTL anymore, instead we were rapidly approaching the crowded airspace above Antiva. "Yes, I'm sorry, must have drifted away. Do we have a landing vector?"

"Not yet. Could you...?"

Nodding, I let my fingers move across the shuttle's systems on reflex, connecting to the local director. A few moments later a bored Turian had assigned us a flight path, along with the usual information about how much landing and fuel would cost. I thanked him politely and assured him that we would pay before closing the channel.

We were still far from atmosphere by the time I was finished, and there was a quiet clatter of armor as the third person on board hauled himself into the small cockpit.

"Antiva." Garrus Vakarian muttered the world's name. "Never thought I'd end up here, not without an army at my back."

"Could be worse." Kasumi replied cheerfully, "The new Broker headquarters could be on Xentha. Maybe she could have found a place in the Old District."

The Turian shuddered. "Spirits, don't give me nightmares."

I couldn't help but grimace as well. I'd only ever been to the Terminus Quarian's home once, and it wasn't an experience I ever intended to repeat. "You've been here before, Kasumi?"

" _Hai._ " The thief shrugged. "It's not a bad little place, for a Terminus world. Very Turian. Very serious. Kind of boring really, but that's better than the alternative. Used to be the Lady's capital, before she moved off to Xentha... still has a mansion here, but don't think she's home."

A quick check of the sensors confirmed that much. There was a dreadnought in orbit, but its IFF was broadcasting as the _Blazing Effigy,_ and Yan T'Ravt was somewhat infamous for using the larger _Dark Tide_ to chauffeur her around.

Garrus relaxed slightly, his own eyes having been doing much the same as mine. "Do we know where the new facility is?"

"I have the address." I nodded. "We'll clear the shuttle and then head out."

"Right." My friend nodded once, but surprised me by not leaving. Normally he was all about triple and even quadruple checking our weapons before we landed, ensuring that everything was properly calibrated.

Instead he just... lingered. Awkwardly.

I sighed when the wave hit the beach, closing my eyes. "By the goddess, just get it over with."

Kasumi sighed. "We're worried about you. You've been drifting off more often since Carastes, like earlier."

"You can't blame us for being concerned." Garrus spoke before I could, his voice lacking his usual blithe confidence. "Shepard's about to wake up, Nikita is safe, we're working for your father... things could be a lot worse."

"Yes." I allowed. "They could be."

They could also be far better. Aethyta was... not the father I had spent my youth dreaming of meeting. I wished that I could have met her before she'd been forced to fight Benezia, before Saren had nearly killed her, before she'd been consumed by regret. She tried, Athame bless her, but she didn't exactly have time to indulge my fantasies while also running what remained of the Broker network.

And Nikita was even more of a sore subject. I had... liked the detective, more than a little, and been both hurt and confused when she'd pushed me towards Shepard instead. Learning that she had been a plant by an organization attempting to influence galactic events, that she'd had literal mental compulsions to never reveal the fact that she'd felt the same about me, hadn't made our relationship any less complicated... or any less painful.

Which was why she was on Omega, working for the Silver Blades, instead of being with us as she should have been.

And my Kaya...

"Spirits." Garrus shook his head. "Liara, Shepard's still going to love you when she wakes up. For her it'll probably be as if no time at all has passed."

"And when she finds out what we've been doing?" I replied quietly. "What you did on Omega? What I did in the mission on Colu?"

Kasumi glanced at me, her hood making her eyes seem haunted. "You do what everyone in love does, Liara-kun. You work your way through it."

I closed my eyes again and sighed. "Something tells me that it won't be that easy."

"No." She agreed quietly. "It won't be... but at least you'll get the chance to try."

* * *

 _ **Silver Blades Communication Log**_

 _T'Soni, L: We are established and linked back into the network. Do you have a status update?_

 _Kean, C: Yeah. We cleared out Firelance station, Lawson's people were resetting the scuttling charges when we pulled out. No real complications._

 _T'Soni, L: Good. What is the status of Lazarus?_

 _Kean, C: She's gone dark until it's time to hit that station. From what she's revealed, most of her staff isn't likely to follow her, they had to recruit a lot of real mad-scientist types to pull that crap off. If anything goes wrong it would be real easy for one of them to cut Shep's throat._

 _T'Soni, L: I am aware_.

 _Kean, C: … We're at our staging point, refitting what we can. Eclipse should be in position soon, will update you after Minuteman._

 _T'Soni, L: Confirmed, Broker Network, out._

* * *

 _ **Next up is** **Unleashed** **Wolves II**_

 _Chapter is a little shorter than I usually ran with in Chevalier, though that is unlikely to remain true moving forwards. Consider this first operation more of an extended prologue highlighting the Cerberus Civil-War/Shepard Recovery arc, with the main story really getting into motion once that is complete._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_

* * *

 ** _Review Responses:_**

Tusken1602 - Nyreen will be around, though she likely won't have a major role.

Micha - Cerberus has lost a lot of their more offensive-oriented cells, but most of their support network hasn't really been touched.


	3. Operation: Unleashed Wolves II

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Date:_ 08-04-2186

 _Location: SBS Reliant_ , Interstellar Rendezvous Point, Attican Traverse

* * *

Our debriefing from the attack was, as usual, a limited affair. I preferred to avoid large meetings wherever possible, finding that my people responded better in smaller, fasting meetings. As a result, it was just Aya, Joa, and I sequestered away in one of the ship's conference room, a steward having already dropped off beverages and a small plate of bread and meat cuts in the Batarian fashion.

"All right." I sighed as I leaned back in the conference room chair, pushing my now empty plate aside. "Fleet first. Joa, what's the damage?"

Aethyta's oldest daughter looked a lot like her mother, excepting her more purple skin tones and the wild, crescent wave style markings on her face. They shared the same unusually stocky build, and were tall for Asari, and both had the same perpetual smirk on their lips... though Joa's eyes were a bit softer, more like Liara's. It was enough to make me wonder just who her 'father' had been, but I had enough problems with that family without dredging up more.

"Fairly minimal." She replied, punctuating her words with a sip from her wine. For once she was actually wearing her dark blue and silver uniform shirt, rather than just the sports-bra that she'd sewn her rank symbols onto. "The _Parry Cut_ took a bad hit to her starboard side, and the _Fireball_ lost her number two engine to laser fire. I'm sending both back to Omega for repairs. Four dead, twenty six wounded."

I exhaled slowly. I didn't like losing people, but for a naval engagement... that was a minimal price to pay for blowing apart three Cerberus warships. "Could have been a lot worse. Salvage?"

Joa grimaced. "Both of the frigates came apart entirely, nothing we could do without a few weeks of work. The destroyer was mostly intact though, our tug is already hauling it back home. You want to keep it or sell it?"

"Keep it." I replied promptly, "We've finally got some extra space at the docks, and Alliance destroyers are solid designs."

"True." There was another sip from her glass, "In better news we didn't expend that much ordnance, don't see any problems having everyone ready for a fleet action tomorrow afternoon."

"Good." Reaching out for my own cup, I sipped the cold water before glancing at Aya. "Aya?"

The Batarian woman tipped her head deferentially, "Three dead during the operation, another two died before we could get them back to the ship. Nineteen wounded, four seriously enough that I moved them to the _Low Kick_ to take them back to Omega."

Joa blinked. "That few?"

"Most their staff weren't like the ones we encountered at the Prometheus facilities." Aya rolled a shoulder, her two upper eyes narrowing to show that she was musing on the subject. "They were less skilled, less professional. I would compare them to conscripts."

I pursed my lips a little. "The assault team we ran into was decent enough, but nothing special. Lawson did say Firelance was a holding station... training recruits probably."

My subordinate shrugged. "They were not skilled in properly defending a station, had poor flank control and fell apart when Taylor seized their control center. If not for their weaponry, we might not have lost anyone."

"More of those tuned up Harriers?" I guessed, grimacing when she nodded. "Was their armor still geared for anti-Citadel work though?"

"Thankfully." She pursed her lips a little. "It was a good first attempt, if nothing else. I have my squad leaders going over what worked and what didn't, so we can ensure a proper plan for the next attack."

I nodded, tilting my head to show my appreciation. "Good. I'll talk with Terro and Chek, make sure they're ready to support you."

All three of her eyes blinked. "Sir?"

Sighing, I spread my hands apart. "In addition to Illyan, Shyeel, and Voya all yelling at me for even setting foot on Firelance, they went around me and told Ayle. It's been made abundantly clear that I'm not to personally risk myself again."

"But..." She shook her head. "You're the Director."

Joa snorted. "That doesn't mean he rules by fiat. Ayle, Ghai, and Idas would all tear him a new one if he got himself injured when he didn't have to be involved."

"Understatement." I muttered. "Either way, you'll have tactical command once you breach the station's exterior. That includes setting objectives for Terro and Chek, but they'll have independent authorization to accomplish their missions however they want."

The lowborn woman swallowed, started to lower her head to the left, exhaled sharply through her teeth, then forced herself to remain rigid. "Yes, Honored Reyja'krem. May I depart? If I only have three shifts to update our plans, I would like to do so at once."

I waved a hand in permission, and she rose quickly before bowing. Aya was out the door the moment I finished nodding deeply in reply, and Joa snorted as she vanished.

"What _is_ it with you and Batarian girls?" She grinned with amusement. "It can't just be the hair."

"It's also the title." I shrugged. "And the power."

"And all the crap you did in the war." She continued. "Bet that helps too."

I scowled at her in return, "Can we stay on mission, please?"

"Since you said please." Joa drawled, but her smile faded. "You have the updated data on Minuteman for me?"

Grimacing, I called up the relevant memory from my greybox. "Six cruisers, including a _Scheer_ , and twenty-three supporting craft. Five of those are destroyers, rest are frigates of varying types."

Purple lips pressed together as she scowled at nothing. On paper, our fleets were about equal. We could commit five cruisers, the _Reliant_ and _Headsman_ both heavy Batarian types, along with twenty-seven escort ships. But only four of our lighter craft were actually destroyers, more than a few of our ships had only recently left our repair yards. Their crews were good, we only hired combat veterans, but only half of the captains had ever fought a serious fleet action together.

The rest had all been brought in after the fleet's little sojourn into one of the many brush wars occupying colonies in the Traverse, or had still been taking their ships through shake-down runs. And even if they were all experienced, there was also the station itself to consider. Taylor had managed to shut down the exterior defenses on Firelance, but Lawson still refused to tell me just who she had on Minuteman... which mean we couldn't trust that its guns and GARDIAN arrays would actually be offline when we showed up.

"The plan isn't to fight them." I reminded her, "We show up with the Eclipse, Lawson's people sabotage as much crap as they can and we force them to surrender or flee."

She shook her head once. "As much as I love that plan, I'll believe it works when it happens. What can we expect from Leska?"

"The _Thousand Cuts_ and her full battlegroup." I replied, "She doesn't have much faith in using fighters against the Geth, so this was an excuse to get some use out of the thing."

Joa relaxed slightly at that. "That's good... that's very good actually. We've got a lot of missiles, can definitely volley-fire those off to cover the fighters and interceptors on approach. How many escorts?"

I shrugged, "At least three cruisers, maybe fifteen smaller ships. Enough to make any outcome obvious. Especially if the AI twins can properly shut systems down."

There was a snort. "And when that fucking fails, and those assholes decide to fight?"

"We go with the backup plan." I sighed, "Much as you hate it, we can't really afford a fleet engagement on this scale, not right now. We bolt for Lazarus, storm it, grab Shepard and Lawson and get back to Omega before Petrovsky can catch us."

A displeased expression flickered across her face. "Shit... well, I guess we'll at least know we've got one competent ally on the station."

"There is that." I agreed. "But we'll still have to deal with that asshole's ships, it won't take him long to figure out that we left. We'll need to board the station _fast_ , then release you to cover us until we get Shepard."

She grunted. "You'd be going with on that mission?"

"I'd take the Lancers with, but no one else." I corrected her. "Speed, remember? We won't have the time to unload a fleet's worth of marine squads."

"Right, right." Her cheeks puffed as she blew out a breath, then she shook her head and took a long sip of wine. "Athame's ass, this is going to be a mess either way. What if we don't find anyone?"

I blinked. That hadn't been a circumstance I'd really considered. "You mean if the fleet is just gone?"

Joa nodded. "Either at Lazarus or just out to fucking sea somewhere."

If Petrovsky wasn't there... what the fuck _would_ we do? I supposed he could anticipate an attack on his base of operations and elect to lurk in interstellar space, much as we tended to do. It was risky, failing systems would strand you in the middle of nowhere with no chance of aid, but it also made it an absolute bitch to find or anticipate your location. He could easily have his fleet just drifting, waiting to make fast FTL jumps into optimal positions.

Or he could be re-assigned by Harper, and be on his way to the Verge or Alliance space to protect what fleet Cerberus had left.

Or be at Lazarus station to safeguard their most valuable asset.

"If he's gone... we'll just have to wing it." I shook my head, "We'll stand off, then call up whatever traitor is inside the station and verify where he went. If they don't answer fast enough, or if I don't think we can trust them, we'll go with the main backup and head for Lazarus."

A hand rose to rub at her face, "As much as I hate that answer, I doubt there's a better option right now. Have I told you how thankful I am you got us stuck into this?"

"Pretty sure you have." I smiled a little as I pushed myself to my feet, "Usual briefing at the end of third shift, after I confirm with the Eclipse fleet commander that they're in position. We go at mid-fourth."

The Executive Captain of the Navy nodded, throwing back the last of her wine and then hauling herself upright as well. We didn't bother bowing, we'd been through enough shit together to not feel the need, instead we simply yawned and stretched and went our separate ways. Joa heading towards the bridge, buried in the heart of the ship, while I headed towards the moderately sized cabin that had more or less replaced my suite on Omega as my home.

Tapping out the pass-code and then physically unlocking the door, I cautiously stepped inside.

The room was something like Lawson's room on the second _Normandy_ , though with the addition of a small bathroom tucked into the back wall and having far less office space. Everything was a muted gunmetal gray, excepting the dark blue covering on the bed. Random pieces of weaponry and armor were scattered about, the usual detritus that indicated that I inhabited an area, along with the small selection of carving knives and other tools that Voya used to prepare her trophies.

The Quarian herself was sitting back in bed, one of her ankles wrapped tightly in bandaging, and her wide eyes narrowed in irritation as she caught sight of me. She'd already removed her armor and suit, as she always did the moment she was in an area where she could, reveling in the advantage of being a Terminus Quarian. She, unlike Tali and her kin, could generally survive without one, and could adapt very rapidly to environments that weren't cesspools like Omega with just a short period of irritated sickness to mark the time. Of course, that advantage had come at the cost of three centuries of enslavement, eugenics programs, and an extreme amount of genetic experimentation.

Today she was wearing a simple pair of black shorts and a matching shirt, a tiny Silver Blade visible on the top left of the latter. The work out clothes left most of her arms and legs revealed, showing off the gray skin covered in lairs of bristle-like white hair. A veritable mane of the same hung backwards from her head, tied loosely back to keep it out of her face. She wasn't beautiful, with slightly gaunt features compared to a Human or Asari, and her gleaming eyes were twice the size of my own and dominated her face... But the dark markings spread across her cheekbones and jawline left her an exotic flair, one she'd taken to accenting with black lipstick and some kind of temporary paint the emphasized the slight cant to her eyes.

"Cieran." She more or less growled my name, her forked tongue briefly appearing from between ivory teeth.

"Voya." I sighed, stopping my approach at the foot of the bed. "How is your ankle?"

Her chin lifted. "It is _fine_ , just as I told you."

I lifted an eyebrow. "That's why it's all bandaged up like that, because it's fine?"

"Don't be a _keshin."_ Wide eyes narrowed. "A precaution, nothing more."

"And if I called Doctor Itherius, would he say the same?" In response, she simply crossed her arms in front of her chest and kept glaring at me. I stared back at her for a few long breaths, then sighed and tipped my head to show that I believed her. "You can't blame me with how you were limping, it looked like you'd sprained or broken it."

Thin lips narrowed a little, and she huffed. "You still should have believed me when I told you I was fine."

I sighed quietly. "Voya, if it had been anything _but_ a leg injury I would have let you stay and you know it. I hardly think I'm being overprotective or trying to shelter you, I'm not a bloody idiot."

She managed to keep up the glare for a few more heartbeats, then it softened as she looked away. " _Bosh'tet_. We should go back to heavy armor, with the internal bracings so we can still move if something like that happens again."

That drew another sigh from me. "It'll slow us down too much, especially you. You just don't have the natural endurance to haul that crap around."

"We aren't on Redcliffe anymore." Voya countered, "Or going out on missions when we're more than half dead. And it wouldn't slow us down _that_ much."

I pursed my lips and considered it. We still did have our old heavier suits, and I made sure to keep them up to date... "Fine. When we get back to Omega, we'll do some comparison training runs. You and Shyeel especially, you've got the worst endurance."

An indelicate little snort came out of her nose. "Because you and Illyan are alien freaks of nature."

"You say the nicest things." I shook my head in bemusement, turning away to start getting ready for bed. Stripping down to my shorts was the easy part of that, and I didn't miss the way that Voya openly flicked her eyes up and down my scarred, wiry frame. The longer process was pouring myself a glass of rum and preparing a decent little section of chehala leaves to smoke, and I was softly puffing on my pipe by the time I settled into bed beside her.

A tiny prick from Voya's claws had me upright again, dutifully retrieving a small glass of brandy for her own night-cap, along with a small pill from her store.

"You hear from our brothers lately?" I asked once she'd downed the drugs and alcohol, her fever-warm body stretching out beside me.

"Unfortunately." She muttered the words. "They are still together. I believe Magnus is due to be assigned to the liaison team between Idas and T'Ravt's people."

I snorted out a small cloud of white smoke. "Wonder which of the two arranged that."

"Does it matter?" Her nose scrunched up a bit. " _Keelah_ , I can still remember the time I walked in on them."

My lips twisted in turn. "Not a mental image that I needed. Anyone else from the District talk to you lately?"

"No." A tiny shrug from a shoulder. "Why?"

"Curious." I replied with a shrug of my own, pulling my pipe away with one hand while the other brought my glass of rum to my lips. "Wasn't your elder bitching about how long you've been gone?"

Voya snorted. "That old _kalashir_ is always screeching about something. The High Elder stopped listening before I was even a Taker, and I already told you that he isn't about to fuck with us."

I grimaced, throwing back a bit more of my drink. "I'm less worried about us specifically, more worried about the other Quarians we're recruiting. If there's any politics going on in the Old District that could fuck with that..."

There was a quiet sound of agreement. "We'd lose our best engineers. I suppose I can't blame your paranoia... I haven't heard anything. Will ask Terro when we wake up."

"Sounds good."

We both fell quiet after that, me smoking, Voya rolling onto her side and burying her face in her pillow as she waited for her own drugs to help her sleep. Not that her pills or my leaves did much for either of us at this point, even when combined with the alcohol. Well, hers helped her sufficiently, unlike my own. My ability to sleep was entirely dependent on her being next to me, but even then...

I took another slow pull from my pipe. I was overdue for another mind healing session with Ghai, and would have to find the time as soon as this shit was over and done with. She couldn't help with the insomnia, that was more or less a constant, but the longer I went without her shoring up the weakened areas of mind the more likely it was that things would start breaking.

Again.

My eyes flicked to my left hand as I set my empty glass aside, reassuring myself that it wasn't shaking, that I still had full control of my own body.

"Cieran." Voya growled my name. "Stop it. You're fine. Now put that stupid thing out and lay down."

Letting smoke flow out of my mouth, I sighed and did as I was told. She turned the lights off with her omni-tool once I'd settled myself, pulling the thin sheet over top of us. Her bristly body-hair promptly scratched at my skin before I felt the almost burning skin beneath, annoyed mutters about the temperature escaping her as she pressed herself into my side.

"Don't think I don't know what this is about." She growled even as her face pressed into my neck. "You just like the fact that I cling to you at night."

"I sweat ridiculously otherwise." I reminded her quietly, very slowly shifting myself so that I could hold onto her. "It's not my fault you're a bloody furnace... and yeah, I would rather you cling to me then kick me off the bed like you used to do."

There was a disdainful sniff. "I don't recall that ever happening."

"It happened at lest five-" My jaw shut with a click as her little claws abruptly dug into my chest.

"Never. Happened." She informed me, relaxing only when I twitched my head in a nod. "Now go to sleep."

Sighing softly, I did my best to relax and do so.

* * *

 _ **Imperfect Glass**_

 _Six hours later_

"I understand the need for a counter-strike," I shook my head, "But I cannot say that I would recommend the idea of striking at those locations. The loss of Firelance is annoying, true, but we had already evacuated most of the recruits and were preparing to scuttle the station. A reprisal on this scale is hardly worth it."

The Illusive Man regarded me from above steepled fingers, his piercing eyes shifting to glance at the other senior operatives present. We were all connected to Cronos Station in a massive conference channel, though there were far fewer of us present than there had been at the last such emergency call last year.

General Petrovsky's uniformed frame stood to my right, elements of the _Admiral Scheer_ 's bridge coming into view whenever he began to pace. Beyond him were Kai Leng and Brooks, the pair of them having recently arrived at Minuteman Station after nearly arriving in the middle of the attack on Firelance.

To my left was a simple outline of a man, 'Operative Darwin', whose actual name was supposed to be classified even above my own clearance. Thanks to EDI and EVA, I was more than aware that the man was actually my 'father', and I idly wondered if the Alliance attack on his new facility would begin during this call.

Beyond him was the immaculately dressed Operative Roosevelt, the old man's expression serious as he sipped from a wine glass. The technical lead of Carthage Cell, and thus the man who handled Cerberus' financial investments, this was only the second time I had ever actually seen him called into a meeting such as this.

The only non-senior agent present was Kelly Chambers, the psychologist off to one side, and her connection set to obscure everyone else's faces and identities. Which was entirely pointless, given that she more than knew who everyone else was, but appearances had to be maintained.

" _Operative Chambers_." The Illusive Man spoke after a few moments, his pause less evidence of him deliberating, and more a reminder that he had the power to make us all wait for his decision. " _Your evaluation?"_

Kelly sighed and planted her hands on her hips. " _Psychologically speaking, the attacks as planned could be devastating to Kean's mental balance. Long term it would make him come apart, but short term it's going to send him into a fury. He'll come after us with everything he has and won't give a damn about the consequences_."

" _It will make him sloppy."_ Kai Leng's cold voice came unbidden. " _Easily lured into a trap."_

Brooks nodded sharply, " _I agree. It gives us the chance to break that Batarian lover's precious company apart, and fuck over that Turian Spectre in the process. She's invested a lot into presenting him as a trustworthy and competent ally, having him run amok in the Alliance will disgrace the bitch."_

I glared at her and crossed my arms, "There are too many moving parts to this, and did you forget the other members of his corporation?"

The dark skinned woman sneered, " _You really think the aliens will stop him?"_

" _Ul Massa will._ " Chambers replied, her voice irritated. " _If Kean goes off the rails, she will absolutely seize power."_

Kai Leng twitched a shoulder. " _That is why she will die."_

My glower found a new target. "It will be that simple? To attack a close enclave on Omega, a fortified military base on Xentha, and a similar facility on Illium? We're being driven back on all fronts and are losing manpower rapidly, I believe it is better to concentrate on the Council's push against our Alliance and Verge holdings."

" _I must agree with Miss Lawson."_ Petrovsky rumbled, " _Aside from Lazarus and Minuteman, we have no major facilities left in the far Traverse, and the Blades will not be so bold as to pursue us directly. They are a problem that can be dealt with when the immediate threat has passed."_

Jack Harper seemed to consider that, taking a pointed sip from his whiskey. _"The Turians are a problem, yes, but not an immediate one. They have likewise run out of targets... if not this operation, what would you propose, Oleg?"_

The leader of Ajax cell drew himself up, " _We evacuate Minuteman and Lazarus immediately, and withdraw the fleet to the Corsair base at El Dorado. Scrap Horus and Promethus in favor of Rakshasa, and we restart Overlord."_

I made a show of considering those options. Rakshasa was the official code name for Lazarus's failure plan, if Shepard both declined to work with us and managed to escape to the Alliance or Council. An N7 agent who had been captured while barely alive had spent the last sixteen months being rebuilt with extreme cybernetics, plastic surgery, and massive amounts of hypnotic conditioning to make her believe that _she_ was Shepard. Additional work had been done by Matriarch T'Ravt's Asari, though I wasn't supposed to know, using their mental techniques to blast away her original personality and carefully overlay a simulacrum of Shepard's in its place.

She would be utilized in Shepard's place, guided by Petrovsky, Chambers, and myself, to operate against the Collectors and sow doubts about just who the real Shepard even was. If possible, a covert team would slip onto the Citadel to corrupt or change the genetic markers in the vaults, to further confuse and obscure what was happening. Our Shepard would become the hero, valiantly fighting against the Collectors, while the real Shepard would be trapped by Cerberus-backed officers and politicians in the Alliance.

" _I can see the benefits,"_ Operative Darwin's concealed voice mused, " _Of activating Rakshasa early, but Overlord is effectively dead. The Terminus and the suit rats are going to exterminate what remains of the Geth, we shouldn't waste resources there."_

Brooks actually looked thoughtful for once, " _What do you think? We run Rakshasa first, and keep Lazarus under wraps? We could let her loose once the copy has lived out its usefulness, gives us more time to make sure the real thing is properly motivated."_

" _And,"_ Kai Leng nodded slowly, " _It removes any fear of losing her to the Omega-Four relay."_

The Illusive Man made his own motion of approval, raising his glass in salute to three officials on my right. " _That is an acceptable deviation of our existing plans, consider it approved. Oleg, Miranda. While I sympathize with your viewpoints and understand our manpower constraints, we simply cannot allow an alien-mercenary group to attack us without reprisal."_

I grimaced openly, while the General merely nodded. " _My orders?"_

" _I want your fleet to withdraw to Tartarus station for the moment, you will remain there until the evacuation of Lazarus is complete."_ I found it increasingly difficult not to clench my fists in frustration at that. Tartarus was a deactivated station, intended as an emergency fall-back point... and I had been using it as a hidden headquarters for my insurrection. " _Miranda, you will supervise the transfer along with Operatives Brooks and Chambers. Leng will re-active Phantom Cell, and begin preparatory work for Operation Garrote."_

The assassin nodded, " _Time frame?"_

Harper steepled his fingers, " _Success is more vital than speed. Allocate three months for planning and training, and then an additional three for movement and positioning."_

Kai Leng nodded, stepping back as his image dissolved. Brooks turned to follow, the line from Minuteman shutting down as they departed. The rest of us followed a waving motion from Harper, the network ending the transmissions.

I waited impatiently, counting five minutes off in my mind before I re-engaged the system. A moment later Kelly Chambers and Theodore Roosevelt XIV were flickering back into view, their expressions suitably grave.

" _He knows something is occurring at Taratrus."_ Roosevelt's elegant voice began without any prelude, " _There is no need to relocate the fleet there, it will be utterly out of position to support you if Lazarus is attacked and adds two days of travel before he can reach the outer Verge, much less El Dorado."_

I grimaced. "I know. He can't know the full depths, but he's clearly realized that EDI and EVA are at least partially unshackled, and he has EDI isolated on Minuteman with EVA due to be cut off tomorrow. According to them, he's had them disconnected entirely from Cronos and spent most of yesterday railing at Professor Collins for his safeguards failing."

" _And he spent the day before interrogating myself about our funding."_ The American aristocrat sighed. " _I am reaching the limits of what I can draw for us without his personal team noticing. I fear we are at the end game, Mira."_

It was a fight not to groan and rub furiously at my face. He was entirely correct, but I had anticipated that Ajax Fleet might relocate to either Lazarus or Cronos, or any of the Corsair bases in the Verge. I had no back-up plan for it proceeding to Tartarus, and only a hundred or so agents in place on the station. Most of them were still bringing the facility up from its cold state, and just a single frigate that was mostly being used to ferry my personal agents around.

Nothing that could stand off Petrovsky's fleet.

"We have to abandon Tartarus." I grimaced. "We can't fight him without dispatching Kean's group, and we need him badly at Minuteman and Lazarus."

Chambers bit her lip, _"We won't have an operational base to work out of then."_

Teddy cocked his head, " _Why not simply re-purpose Minuteman?"_

"Because Kean knows where it is," I shook my head, "And that means Aria and the Broker know or will know soon enough. He might tolerate us but they won't, and it would just be a matter of time before another mercenary group or a warlord showed up to finish us off."

His fingers clenched a little around his wine glass. " _What do you propose then? I can hardly host the entire organization from New York."_

No, he couldn't. "We'll... have to use the SR-2 as a flagship, it has the equipment. The remaining teams will have to separate to the fall-back facilities. Peregrine should be useable."

The psychologist wrinkled her nose, " _If the jungle hasn't eaten it."_

I blinked, then nearly snorted as I remembered that that particular station had been Chambers' first posting within the organization. If nothing else, at least she would be familiar with it.

" _Unfortunately_ ," Roosevelt shook his head, " _That will leave us with an existential problem._ _We had planned on owning or having destroyed the fleet before we moved on Cronos... and we will have nothing to send after Leng."_

"Yes." I exhaled. The plan to consolidate all of Cerberus into three or four locations, where my coup would leave few if any hard-liners alive, had seemed to be coming along smoothly... and now, at the eleventh hour, it was all coming apart. "We have no choice but to proceed at this point. Chambers, prepare your team on Minuteman. I will tell Jacob to evacuate and destroy Tartarus immediately. Teddy?"

He sighed, " _I remember Mira. Jack will find all of his accounts closing the moment you send me the signal, and your manifesto will go out at the same time. How long do I have to prepare my security?"_

"Two hours, no more." I shook my head. "It will take the General four to reach Tartarus, and I want Kean to hit Minuteman while he is still in FTL. Expect the attack to begin within three hours."

Teddy closed his eyes and nodded tiredly, his voice a murmur as the link shut down. " _God forgive us for the friends we betray today."_

* * *

 _ **Next ups is: Unleashed Wolves III**_

 _And the Cerberus civil war arc will now officially begin, with everything becoming a mess in very short order. Here's to hoping that everyone enjoys it, and is tolerating a few of the reminders/descriptions to make things a bit easier on any new readers._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat


	4. Operation: Unleashed Wolves III

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

* * *

 **The Masquerade**

 _Kelly Chambers_

 _Date:_ 08-05-2186

 _Location:_ Minuteman Station, Horse Head Nebula, Attican Traverse

* * *

"Operative Chambers." Senior Centurion Elaine Ruel glanced at me as I entered the command center, trying not to show how awkward it felt to be wearing the slim, armored body-suit of a combat agent. Or how intimidating the heavy plating that Elaine was wearing made her, turning her already large frame into something utterly imposing. "Your progress?"

"All of our classified files have been cleared and transmitted." I replied, omitting the fact that they'd gone to Peregrine Base instead of Cronos Station. "And we're in the process of sending out our back-ups. Soon as that's done we'll be ready to wipe the servers."

"Good." The tanned woman exhaled, her expression twisting the age lines on her face. "I need a favor."

My lips curled a little. "You want me to shut up Pravos?"

"For the love of god _please."_ The station's commander all but growled, "He won't fucking stop harassing us about his precious research, and that we shouldn't be fleeing from aliens, and twenty other things that I want to execute the pretentious asshole for."

I let the smile widen, reaching up to touch her thick shoulder pad. "I'll handle him. How is everything else going?"

Her cheeks puffed out as she let out a breath. "Slowly but surely. Can't say it's easy, not with EDI locked down on the damned ship and EVA's hardlines cut... you know what that's about?"

It didn't take any real effort to show annoyance. "Someone up high is paranoid that they're working around their shackles, it's all bullshit. Treating them as people-"

"-is the best way to secure their loyalty." She finished for me, a small smile on her face. "I know Kelly, Christ but you're like a broken record."

"I'm as passionate about my work as you are about yours." I replied easily, trying not to let the pang of regret in my heart reveal itself in my voice. "Let me know if you need anything else, we should be finished up in an hour or two."

"I will." Elaine gave me a quick nod, "Once you're done, get your team down to the hangars. We're evacuating by division as they finish their preparation, and I'm expecting the first shuttles to be away inside of an hour."

"We'll be there." I lied with a smile on my lips. "Don't stress out too much Elaine."

She let out a bark of laughter, "Too late. Get your freckled butt out of here Kelly."

Still smiling, and making sure not to let it turn melancholy, I gave her a cheerful nod. Elaine returned it before turning back to snap orders at the subordinates around us while I stepped back and headed for the door. I half expected, half feared, that she would call me back, but only the quiet murmur of purposeful conversation sounded as I left the room.

A quick glance at the gleaming clock on the hallway wall saw me set off back towards my section of the station at a quick pace, my throat working as I realized just how close I was cutting it. Thirty minutes, maybe even a little less, until a mercenary fleet dropped out almost on top of the station. They would destroy the defensive turrets in short order, thanks to EVA's sabotage of the station's defensive barriers, and then begin hurling boarders to seize it. Elaine would find herself unable to scuttle the station, or manipulate the environmental controls thanks to EDI... at least, according to the plan.

This was going to be a mess, I just knew it.

Making sure to keep my breathing even and my usual, coy smirk on my lips as I walked past the various men and women running about. Most of them paid me no attention whatsoever, entirely focused on their harried preparations to abandon the station, desperately triple-checking their evacuation-lists.

Which worked well for me. It made it less likely any of them would notice the tinge to my features, or the too-quick breaths that I was taking as I ran through my own, less savory list.

I wasn't any more relaxed by the time I made it to the Psychology and Analysis Department, opening the locked door to find a dozen guns pointed in my direction as I stepped in.

"That." I sighed as I quickly closed the door behind me. "Is a good way to get us killed before this even starts."

There was a few tense, awkward chuckles and my fellow conspirators lowered their weapons. For most of them this was the first time they were actually meeting in person, rather than using the code names and hidden message networks that EVA or EDI would setup for us. As the leader of Minuteman Cell, I'd known who everyone was, but I could still admit to a bit of tension at seeing them all openly like this.

I was reasonably sure I'd kept any infiltrators out, and hoped that none of them were the kind of people who would betray us... but hope had burned me in the past, and I had to be a realist.

"Minuteman B is in position, so are the terrible twosome." Centurion Jesse Church informed me as I took a few steps away from the door. "Just waiting on C team."

I nodded as powerfully as I could, taking them all in. Besides Church, there were seven other soldiers present, all of them at least Centurion rank. A single combat operative, David Smith, was bouncing a sheathed sword up and down in a distinctly nervous fashion that didn't even compare to the two non-combat technicians were looked about seven seconds away from changing their minds.

"Good." I lifted my chin up confidently, pitching my voice to make it ring a little. "The Blades and Eclipse will be here in six minutes, we're to go in four. Heiko, take Boris and Wolfgang to your staging point. I re-assigned the guard to help evacuate medical, so there shouldn't be anyone on station. Get them loose."

The Phantom nodded, bouncing on his heels once and glancing at the two techs. Both of them nodded shakily in return, and started to follow him towards the door.

"Wait." I held up a hand, "Armor, we don't want anyone accidentally shooting each other."

Heiko blinked at me, then snorted. "Right."

He, and everyone else, joined me in getting our omni-tools up and trigger a preset program. Our armor and bodysuits dutifully reacted, the armor panels darkening rapidly from white to a solid black, while our Cerberus logos likewise shifted from black to white to stand out against the new primary color.

Our change of allegiance thus half-hidden, our first team went out to accomplish their objective. Shortly after, C-team reported in that they were ready, disguising it as alerting me that they had a few old data drives for me to pick up. I thanked them politely even as Jesse sent the rest of her people out, the combat team marching purposefully back the way I'd come.

Heading off to seize the control room.

I closed my eyes as I realized what I was doing, shaking my head even as I forced myself to admit what they were _really_ going to go do. They were going to kill Elaine and her entire staff, shoot them in the back before they could even try to fight. Then they were to hold the room or sabotage the equipment if they couldn't.

"Sergei and Pravos?" I asked as the door closed once again, the small timer on my omni-tool spinning towards zero far too rapidly for my liking.

"Dead." Jesse replied quietly, an armored limb waving towards the hallway that lead to our offices. "You want to see them?"

I clenched my jaw a little and shook my head. Pravos had been a racist, chauvinistic, pathetic excuse for a human being. Sergei had been far more personally likeable, but he'd lost his brothers on Shanxi and had never forgotten them. Nor had he forgiven the Alliance for needing to be saved by the Asari rather than being able to fight off the Turians on our own. Neither of them would have joined us.

"Are we ready to move?" I asked instead.

Jesse nodded, and we got moving. Avoiding the still moderately packed hallways, we instead went into one of the emergency ducts, using the ladders to move down three decks rather than having to answer awkward questions about our armor's coloration at the elevators.

We were running low on time when we reached our destination, the prison cells located near the bottom of the station. The main guards had already left, drawn away to more time-critical tasks, and only one old Centurion was on duty inside.

"Ma'am." Charles Buford rose dutifully on seeing me, though as I wasn't a combat agent he refrained from saluting. His salt pepper mustache quivered a little as he smiled at me, "Didn't know you were the one they were sending."

"It's all right Charles." I replied, feeling something break a little inside of me. "They behaving?"

He snorted, glancing at the only active prison cell. "As much as that little jackass ever behaves. The lady doctor has been nothing but polite though."

"Good. Mind getting them up? I can handle shutting everything down if you and Centurion Church want to get a head start to the shuttles," I rolled my eyes, "Pravos is moving his precious books, god knows how many elevator trips _that_ is going to take."

"Best to get there ahead of him then." Charles laughed, limping on his bad leg as he walked over to the cell bank. Jesse started to move once he turned his back, but stopped when I held my left hand up, my right drawing my pistol.

I wasn't a very good shot, but at this range I didn't have to be. What was important was that I don't think he felt anything.

"Jesus-fuck!" A startled oath came from within the cell, followed by several more curses. This time I didn't stop my companion as she stepped around me, quickly moving around the spreading pool of blood in order to deactivate the glowing barrier keeping the two prisoners inside.

Doctor Karin Chakwas cautiously leaned across the threshold, her piercing eyes flicking between us. "Miss Chambers. When the AI said we would know the signal, that was not what I expected."

"I can imagine." I stared at Charles' body for a moment, then kept my eyes up from that point on. "We have... less than a minute before events begin, can he walk?"

"Yeah, he can." Jeffery Moreau limped out of the cell, very careful with his footing as he did. "Just don't ask me to run anywhere. Please tell me we're going to get my baby out of here."

Jesse snorted. "Pilots and their ships."

"Like you didn't name your rifle." He retorted, "Manboots? Hardball?"

"Gilgamesh."

" _Nerd."_ The word was a cough, and I felt myself genuinely smile, if but for a moment.

The Centurion rolled her helmet to make the interior eye-roll obvious, "Doctor, please make sure he doesn't break anything. We don't have anyone else who can fly the ship."

"I've taken care of him this long." Chakwas replied as she politely but firmly helped Moreau around the mess on the ground, speaking over his muttering protests. "Jeff. I am aware that you are not an invalid, but I believe that we don't have the time to indulge your pride."

Jesse grunted. "We don't. I'd carry him but I need to be ready to fight."

"Speaking of," I murmured, turning back to the closed door before bringing my omni-tool and its timer up again. "We need to move."

An armored hand rose in response, politely but silently asking for me to wait. My eyes dropped to the gleaming numbers just as time ran out. Five additional seconds passed... then twenty. My heart was about to explode from sheer tension when a sudden shrieking alarm made me jump two inches off the deck.

" _Incoming FTL wakes!"_ A young woman announced as the ringing died off, " _All combat teams to action stations! All others, drop what you're doing and report to-!"_

Gunfire cut her off, and I felt my stomach roll a little.

"Time to go." My bodyguard exhaled heavily, drawing her massive rifle from her back while I opened the door for us. She took the leading position, while I followed her, keeping my little pistol drawn and pointed at the ceiling as I kept my fingers tight around the grip.

We had just reached the elevator bank, abandoned since everything else from this level had been moved up to the hangars, when a slight hum came across my earpiece before a feminine voice spoke up.

" _Operative Chambers, I have been restored to full connectivity."_ EDI hummed, her synthetic voice full of cheer. " _My sister's connection has been established to her avatar, she is progressing to support Team B."_

"Good." I breathed the word. "Your own?"

" _Is still being reactivated, but I should be en route to the SR-2 shortly."_ She replied as the elevator abruptly arrived, the door opening for us. We piled in as the AI continued, " _Team B has vented Hangar Three and is fighting their way to Hangar Two. Team C is securing the SR-2, I do not estimate that they will have any issues."_

Resisting the urge to ask just how many people have been hurled into space when the hangar had been vented, I focused on the team she hadn't indicated. "Team A?"

" _Holding against local attackers. Centurion Schmidt is pinning them down, and has sent runners to summon additional support."_ There was a pause. " _They are using the emergency ladders and are fully prepared for vacuum. I can track them but not counter them."_

Jesse grunted, "Tell Gary to-"

The elevator shuddered to a stop as the lights cut out, the entire station shuddering ominously. Thankfully the lift itself had stopped before gravimetrics cut out, and none of us got more than an inch into the air before we abruptly were dragged back down. Moreau gasped in agony even as the Doctor and I both grabbed his shoulders to keep him from falling, and from the way his face scrunched up even the minor drop might have done something to his ankles.

"EDI!?" Jesse snapped, making sure her armored bulk didn't hit any of us as the elevator abruptly lurched back into motion.

" _Several turrets were cut out and put under local control."_ EDI replied tersely. " _The SBS Reliant has engaged them."_

"Local control?" Something like a breathy laugh came from the panting pilot. "Why not just throw rocks while they're at it."

" _The counter-fire is a larger issue."_

I grimaced, picking up on the almost evasive inflection in the flat voice. "EDI..."

The AI seemed to hesitate, then spoke almost quietly. " _There has been collateral damage in Hangar One. You will need an alternative route off station, or else plan to enact a defensive plan until the Blades can arrive."_

 _..._ Dammit.

* * *

 _ **The Silver Blade**_

 _Location:_ SBS _Reliant_ , Horse Head Nebula, Attican Traverse

"Defenses suppressed Cie." Joa called back from where she sat in her command chair, "Main barriers are still down, still no coordinated defense.. we picked off all the turrets would could detect just to be sure. Ready to start boarding at your command."

I grimaced from where I was standing behind her, my hands on the railing of a holographic display tank. It had been one of the _Reliant'_ s modifications to make it a more suitable flagship, a place in the rear of the bridge where we could observe the battle without getting in the crew's way. I both appreciated and loathed the fact that it let me know what was going on in the battle. The former from my natural curiosity and need to know the situation... the latter because I was smart enough to know that I had no business offering so much as _suggestions_ in naval combat.

And now I'd get to use it for my second least favorite past time, sending other people off to war while I was stuck directing harbor traffic from the shore.

"Tell Aya to get on with it." I replied, "Remind her to concentrate on the primary target zones."

"You heard him, get those barges off my ship!" Joa all but snapped at her communications officer, "Sooner we can pull back a bit the happier I'll be."

I smiled a little as the orders rang out in sequence, the various staff sending off the appropriate commands. The _Reliant_ duly began to move away from the station as combat shuttles began to streak out from our hangars, joined by dozens of others as the other ships of the fleet likewise began to disgorge their own marines.

Watching the tiny icons moving across the screen, I let out a slow exhale, wishing that one of my friends was around. Unfortunately, they were all currently occupied with more important things than distracting me from what was happening. Illyan and Voya were both down in engineering, since they actually had skills with heavy equipment unlike myself, while Shyeel had been the only one to actually go out with the shuttles. She was along with to both act as Aya's bodyguard, as well as to take local command if anything were to happen to the Batarian woman.

Which left me alone, with only a small heap of reports to distract me as the engagement continued. Sighing, I reached out and manipulated the display, creating a tiny text window to one side so that I could read while also keeping one eye on the progress reports that would start coming in rather soon.

The first report was from Nikita Korolev, my fellow experiment and the one who had been 'Chosen' to get close to Shepard to report on and potentially manipulate her... and to set up the SR-1 for destruction should the situation warrant it. Not that I blamed the young woman, she was so loaded up with mental compulsions that she _couldn't_ have resisted even if she'd been aware of what she was doing. That was also the reason why she had decided to hide away in my command center, hoping that she could avoid causing any more damage while also providing some help.

Said help was a possible path for two other experiments, namely ones that had supposedly been able to escape long after she and I had been set loose. Given that they had almost certainly received more advanced variations of what had been done to the pair of us, finding them was a priority to try and reverse the mental degradation that would otherwise kill us sometime in the next three to ten years.

Reaching up with a hand, I idly stroked the braids in my goatee as I read. She had managed to track a shuttle across the 'civilized' Spinward Terminus, mostly by correlating incidents of Nightwind teams and freelance mercs trying to blow it to pieces whenever it stopped to discharge on a colony. All records stopped near the Outcast world of Vicial, a small Asari-dominant colony right on the border that divided Sederis and Aria's seas.

"And right next to Redcliffe." I muttered to myself. They could have easily vanished into Zaen's old empire, or simply re-routed down to Omega to disappear there. Either way finding them would be a matter of random luck rather than actual investigative skill, something that Nikita's annoyed report conveyed rather clearly.

Athame's ass, that was assuming the idiots were alive at all. The Terminus wasn't a safe place during the best of times, much less the last couple of years.

A soft ping from the main display dragged my attention to the side, in time to see the white wire-frame image of the station update to color two large areas in a light blue. At the same time, my personal line activated, Shyeel's voice echoing in my ear.

" _Cie, you still awake?"_

"I'm going over reports." I replied, "So for the moment. I see you've got the initial hangars."

" _Yup."_ She drawled. " _Nothing but frozen corpses inside, bit macabre decorating for my tastes, but at least we know Chambers' people are around."_

I snorted. "Which plan is Aya using?"

" _Three, max coverage, max speed."_ The Asari audibly shrugged, " _Reliant's formation is moving to secure the stealth ship, Headsman's is pushing towards the control center, Nassau's is going for power. The smaller teams are separating out to start clearing the place floor by floor."_

I made a sound of approval, "She staying in the hangar to coordinate all of that?"

" _Along with a few techs specifically to track squad positions and vector more teams in whenever they hit problems."_ Shyeel hummed. " _All that SIU training you put them through seems to be working well so far."_

"Good." I grunted, "Have you made contact with Chambers yet?"

" _Not yet, I'll patch you in to her once we do."_

Blowing out another breath as she cut the line, I watched as tiny icons began to spill out of the hangars that they'd landed within, spreading through the station in broad waves. The largest groups, from our two heavy cruisers, made direct lines towards the priority targets, while smaller but still sizable groups began to blitz towards the station's power plant and escape pod banks.

"Joa?" I asked, raising my voice a bit. "You have anyone in place for the escape pods?"

There was a deep snort. "Yeah, the _Wisp_ and the _Fireball_ are lurking around with their emitters warmed up. Future reference, try and remind me of that shit earlier."

"Oh fuck off." I retaliated, a murmur of amusement going through the bridge. "Any incoming?"

A purple-blue hand appeared around the side of her chair, rolling in a dismissive motion. "Nothing. Of course that leaves us with a bit of fucking problem, since the Eclipse is already heading back to Omega, and we're going to have to deal with that fleet at some point."

Pushing away from the holographic display, I shook my head as I walked over to her chair. "Don't remind me."

Joa let out a quiet grunt, glancing up at me as I appeared. "I'm going to keep throwing that wave at your beach until that asshole is dead Cie. He's supposed to be pretty good, and he'd already have an advantage over us."

"And you're twitchy being stuck here while we take the station." I nodded slightly. "We aren't staying a moment longer than we have to. Soon as shit is secure, we're off to Lazarus, then back to Omega."

"Yeah." Her pert nose flared a little as she exhaled, her voice lowering. "Sooner the better. This has too much potential to explode all over us. I get that it's necessary but Athame's azure... I've got a bad feeling about this."

I glanced down at her, "This engagement, or the entire plan?"

"Whole fucking thing." She shook her head slightly, "You're nervous too, don't even try to deny it."

Since she was entirely correct, I didn't bother trying. "It's mostly the fact that we're fighting a terrorist group. All cells and tiny operations, nothing we can really sink our teeth into. If they had a planetary headquarters we could just grab an Eclipse group, my mother's battlegroup, and then throw all of our regiments at it."

Joa grunted again. "But they don't, so we're stuck skulking about the goddess-damned Traverse."

"Pretty much."

We both fell silent at that, Joa staring at the massive screen at the far end of the bridge and listening to the quiet chatter of her crew, while I didn't want to go into the various financial reports waiting for my review. Instead I simply lurked and tried not to curse as the reports started to come in.

The first bad news concerned the team sent to help secure the SR-2. Evidently one of the turrets that we'd had to destroy had been directly above it, and most of the hangar's ceiling had collapsed across the ship when said turret had been blown to pieces. Her core hull was intact, but the number three and four engines had been nearly ripped entirely free and a large stretch of her ventral armor would have to be replaced.

Which meant that we'd have to give Chambers and her team a ride, which was fine... and that I'd have to listen to Lawson bitch, and probably pay to fix the damn thing, which was less fine.

The second piece of bad news was more of a continuous stream. While the insider team had killed quite a few defenders by venting the hangar bay, and while their AI had easily blocked any attempt to overload the power core or otherwise scuttle the station, there was still a very large number of Cerberus personnel present on board. Only a hundred or so were trained soldiers, but they were comporting themselves in the manner of veterans determined to sell themselves as dearly as the could, and doing so in an environment that gave the defender every advantage.

Casualties were mounting with each room and hallway that our marines cleared. More wounded than killed, thank the goddess, but far more of both groups than I would have liked. Nor had Chambers' people come out unscathed. She'd lost a good third of her force, and nearly everyone else was wounded even as they tried to get the SR-2 space-worthy enough to limp out of the hangar.

Shyeel returned on one of the medical shuttles, having faith that Aya could clean up what remained. She wasted little time in heading back to the bridge, stretching and trying to work off the energy she'd built up from never actually fighting.

"Preliminary numbers are forty-three dead, hundred and ten injured." She reported, the low lighting of the bridge throwing the Batarian brand on her cheek into sharp relief. "Figure we can add another dozen or two to the latter, once we find all the too-tough idiots who didn't report injuries."

More than I'd hoped, less than I'd feared. "Cerberus?"

There was a snort. "Total. Ninety soldier types, twenty or so combat agents, maybe a hundred techs and science types who weren't in the hangar when it vented. The insiders said they'd already dealt with the upper staff, so we didn't bother with prisoners."

Joa pushed herself up from her seat before planting her hands on her hips, "How long before we can leave?"

"Shouldn't be too long." Shyeel shrugged. "We have a few teams casing the place to make sure we didn't miss anything, and an engineering team is prepping the core for a meltdown."

"The SR-2?" I prodded.

"Is loose and should be drifting out soon." One of her shoulders rolled in a shrug, "We'll have to send an escort with them though, if they're going to Omega. Last thing we need is some idiot trying to board it."

My lips twisted at the very idea, "Or just blowing it apart. Dammit. Is Chambers on it?"

Shyeel shook her head, "She was with Aya, said she's coming with to Lazarus to help. Rest of her team is on their ship."

I nodded slightly, then flicked my eyes to Joa. "Who do you want to send with?"

Teeth appeared as she bit her lip, "We'll want some big guns to keep the minnows away. The _Headsman_ and _Nassau_ , with the _Wisp_ and _Kikita_ for an escort. Can the Cerberus boat even make FTL?"

When Shyeel only shrugged helplessly, I grimaced. "Go ahead and cut the orders, tell Jun she's got authority to lead them to an empty system to wait for a tow if they have to. Rest of the fleet is to prep to head to the coordinates for Lazarus as soon as our marines are back aboard."

Joa nodded sharply, turning back and starting to bark out the appropriate commands. While she did that, I motioned for my companion to follow, the two of us heading for the door.

"Heading to meet Chambers?" Shyeel guessed.

"Yeah. I want everything she's got on Lazarus, and anything she can tell me about Petrovsky." I tipped my head to the guards outside of the bridge as the two men gave us quick bows. "I feel... shit. I feel like we're on Redcliffe again, those early days. Like we just fired the opening salvos of a fucking slugging match that's just going to drag on and on."

The Asari snorted, a small fist hitting me on the arm. "I know this is hard for you, but be less pessimistic for once. This time we get to do shit our way, we don't answer to someone trying to kill us, and if the rain gets too heavy, we can just kill everything and then go home."

I couldn't help but snort. "True... true."

My mood remained partially restored up until we reached the hangar, which was when Lawson's emergency transmission reached us.

* * *

 _ **Next ups is: Unleashed Wolves IV**_

 _And the next two chapters are going to be very heavy on the action, and the tease from Chevalier will finally be resolved in the chapter after that._

 _Only other note is that we have another story for you all to check out in the AR-verse, this one by twentyitalians and focusing on a small group of misfit recruits who decide to join the Corsairs. Can be found by searching for:_ Corsair Saga: The Steward

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat


	5. Operation: Unleashed Wolves IV

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 _Date:_ 08-05-2186

 _Location:_ Lazarus Station, Deep Space, Attican Traverse

* * *

Letting out an extremely frustrated snarl, I let biotic energy roll out of me, seizing one of the soldiers that trumped up whore had brought with. The poor man let out a yelp as dark energy wrapped around him, then shrieked as he was abruptly flung into the ceiling, the sound ceasing as I redirected the power to hurl him into the decking head-first.

"Ma'am!" Centurion Mikawa shouted even as a heavy burst of gunfire drove me back behind our make-shift barricade. "They're flanking us again! We have to pull back!"

I felt my lips pull back from my teeth, but I jerked my head in a nod. "Team one, fall back to the next connection. Centurion, get over to team two and tell me why they can't hold a position for more than five minutes!"

"Ma'am!" He repeated, heaving his black-armored bulk up into a lumbering jog, the mixed soldiers and agents that compromised my primary team beginning to fall back in pre-ordered sequence. Trusting in my barriers, and still more than a little angry, I elected to stay with the rear-guard... and to use my enhanced talents to execute another target. Bouncing another blind fool off of the floor made me feel slightly better in the moment, but an additional kill was hardly anything that would change our tactical situation.

 _Everything_ had gone wrong over the last two hours... and we were losing because of it.

It had begun when Doctor Heath, a brilliant neurosurgeon who had helped Wilson keep Shepard's brain intact, had learned that Brooks was the one on the way to retrieve her. He, being a fairly young, hormonal male, had decided that the best way to approach the exotic operative was to suck up to her. Since it was known that Brooks was taking over that portion of Lazarus while I was due to be transferred to support Petrovksy, the remainder of the science team had all be on board with the idea of ingratiating themselves with their new boss.

So they had ignored my orders entirely, encased Shepard in a modified sleeper pod, and hauled her and all of their equipment down to hangar two; the very model of efficiency. They also neglected to tell me about their actions, and with EDI and EVA being temporarily locked down and my own attention on everything else that I had to prepare, I hadn't realized what was happening in time.

I'd been on my way down when shots had broken out between those loyal to me and those not, though I had _no idea_ what had caused them.

All I knew was that by the time I'd reached the hangar, a full-blown firefight was underway. Not seeing a choice, I'd activated my other teams and tried to modify my carefully crafted plans on the fly. Even those improvised concepts had been spaced when Brooks had arrived _three hours early,_ roaring directly into the hangar with a fleet of shuttles and disgorging combat teams of her own. That had briefly turned the fighting into a three-way free-for-all before Wilson had managed to communicate that I was the actual traitor present.

It had bought my people enough time to fall back and entrench ourselves around the command center and power core, and to activate the defensive mechs to try and put a dent in the overwhelming numbers facing us... but we had already lost our primary objective.

We hadn't been able to secure Shepard.

She was likely already en route to Cronos station... along with word of my betrayal. Time was now our enemy. Cronos was a large station, but it was still mobile after a fashion. If we couldn't get there before Harper decided to relocate, we might never find them. For additional pressure, my own life-span would likely be measured in hours as soon as T'Soni and her broker allies learned of my failure, and she might elect to dismantle my neophyte organization out of sheer spite.

"Miss Lawson!" I glanced back at a shout, Trooper Matthews waving for me to fall back with the remaining rear-guard.

Nodding in reply, I waited the split second before the team behind us went full-auto to provide suppressing fire, then rose into a low crouch and dashed back to our next strong point. Though the collection of debris positioned to defend the intersection of two hallways hardly qualified, it was as close as we were going to get.

"Sound off by effectives!" My voice rang out as I vaulted what had once been an armored door, feeling a few shots slapping across my barriers as I did. "Ordnance check!"

Seven men and women promptly began to speak over one another, trusting that I would be able to separate and understand their voices and reports. That was moderately more difficult than usual, given the gunfire, but only moderately. I still had four troopers, their Harriers long out of thermal clips but their ammo blocks still holding out, along with three combat agents. Two of the latter were in a similar situation, though they at least had one grenade left each, while Tiffany still had a single clip in her shotgun that she was saving for a desperate moment.

Grimacing at the news, and the knowledge that we were at our last defensive position before the station's command center, I brought a hand up to my throat and activated my sub-dermal microphone. "Mikawa, report."

" _Team two has five combatants left."_ He reported promptly, " _They lost half their number to one of Leng's cybered up ninjas, but killed her before retreating. Centurion Mendelez is dead, none of the remainder could multi-task communicating and retreating."_

My expression worsened, and I fought the uncouth urge to start cursing. "Can they hold?"

" _Three of them are walking wounded ma'am."_

That was a no. Goddammit. "Get them to the control center, we'll make our next stand there."

He clicked his mic to let me know that he'd heard and acknowledged me, letting us both focus on our immediate situations. A quick glance back the way we'd come showed white-clad figures moving forwards by fire-and-advance, troopers taking up positions at the last intersection. Most of the incoming was merely suppressive fire, they'd learned not to try and rush us while I had sufficient energy for biotic attacks.

"Eight or so of them ma'am." Matthews needlessly reported, his own Harrier firing off a short burst before he ducked back to let it cool. "They don't seem to be in a rush."

"No, they aren't." I replied. "I'm going to utilize my last smoke grenade to cover our withdrawal."

His helmet tipped, "Do you want us to ambush them?"

I'd have loved nothing more than to do so, but if anything else went wrong the losses we could suffer were too severe given our limited numbers. Especially given that we had no real idea just how many soldiers Brooks still had at her own disposal. She had arrived in the _Surabaya,_ and the former Corsair cruiser could have carried a full company of soldiers... more than enough to deal with my thirty or so rebels.

"Fall back." I ordered. "Assistance is en route, we merely have to survive and keep the station intact. When I throw the grenade, I want a full fusillade as if we are charging, and then for everyone to fall back at double-time."

Even with his helmet blocking his features, I could read his body language well enough to know that he didn't quite believe me. Still, he nodded again and continued to follow orders. "Ma'am."

Not wasting anymore time, I detached the last grenade from my belt, primed it, and then threw it side-arm down the hall. Several attackers ducked into the side hall, likely thinking it a fragmentation model, and then I lost sight of everything as smoke began to sputter and billow to fill the enclosed space. Heaving my Harrier up, I joined everyone else in firing off a heavy barrage even as I rose to my feet and began to backpedal.

I let off the trigger the heartbeat before my weapon would have overheated, then turned and sprinted along with the remainder of my team as we retreated once again. My effort at deception evidently worked, as there was little fire after us, but at least two grenades detonating as if they had thrown them into the smoke to try and disrupt a rush.

We reached the command center at the same time as my second team, all of us piling into the room. Detailing Mikawa and Matthews to stand sentry, I glanced around at the few techs I'd left on duty. "Status?"

"Fifty percent of the mechs are destroyed." Reyansh reported promptly, his Indian features entirely focused on his display. "I've moved most of the rest towards hangar one, as if we intend a breakout."

That certainly explained the relatively light forces coming after us directly. "Excellent thinking. Suicide protocols?"

He grimaced, "I was waiting until we had twenty percent left, then sending the rest in a kamikaze wave, but I think we've got another issue."

"Wait one. Lakshmi?" I flicked my eyes to his wife, manning the sensor grid. "Status?"

"The _Surabaya_ is still the only target around." She reported, her accent far richer than her husband's. "The shuttle with Lazarus aboard is aboard her, not sure why they didn't go on ahead. No FTL wakes incoming yet... if the Blades left the moment you called them, they should be detectable any moment."

Shepard was still here? Fighting the urge to grimace, and not wanting to waste any time trying to make sense of that, I returned my attention to Reyansh. "The issue?"

"Brooks is a vindictive little shit, and a heartless bitch on top of that." He replied promptly, "When the Blades get here, she might try and smash the station out of spite, even with her people still on board. The station is sturdy enough, but this post..."

My eyes followed his arm to the theatrical floor-to-ceiling view-port and the stunning vista of stars beyond. "Dammit... get everyone ready to move again, signal team three that we're going to join them at the power plant. Activate the mechs suicide packages, have them rush in successive waves."

When he nodded and got to work, I turned my attention back to the others, particularly the three walking wound from team two. "Lesedi, can you walk?"

The slim little woman nodded, though one dark skinned hand continued to hold a bandage to her other bicep. "We won't fall behind ma'am."

"Good." I nodded in approval. "Get moving, secure lift five. Everyone but Mikawa and Matthews, go with them."

As everyone else scrambled to get moving, Reyansh snapping orders to the three other techs to shutter their stations before the five of them sprinted out of the room. That left myself and the two men, both of whom were already firing measured shots out of the hatchway to discourage someone from trying to close with us.

"Plenty coming ma'am." The Centurion offered as I approached, ducking back to let his weapon cool. "Mostly lurking right now, but they'll find their balls soon enough and rush us."

"Or as soon as Brooks knows where I am." I replied.

As if speaking the devil's name had summoned her, there was a harsh cracking noise as the station's loudspeakers were overridden. The volume destroyed the woman's normally dulcet tones, making it even more grating as she taunted us.

" _Miranda dear, are you still alive?"_ There was a long hum that broke her words apart. " _I imagine you are, none of my men have reported killing a brainless bimbo with tits bigger than her head."_

A muscle in my cheek twitched. "Akio. Shut the door, and get moving. Take the lift, don't wait for me; she'll have moved the ship into position as soon as I reply. I'll use the emergency vent."

Mikawa Akio swung his helmet around to stare at me, then let out a quiet little curse in Japanese before slamming his fist into the door controls. Matthews put several rounds into the panel for good measure, and then both men were sprinting as quickly as their tired bodies and heavy armor would allow.

I gave them a twenty second head start, then returned my rifle to my back and activated my omni-tool. Flicking my fingers across the haptic keyboard above my forearm, I began an open-channel broadcast. "Maya. I see you use petty insults to mask your own failings."

She didn't reply at once, giving me time to casually start walking towards the emergency hatchway. I was in the process of hauling it open when her voice, thankfully no longer deafening, came across my ear-piece. " _My failings? That is rather tough talk coming from a woman evidently betraying the man who raised her. Are your daddy issues so severe that you must desert two in a single lifetime?"_

Normally I considered violence to be merely a means to an end, something not to indulge in for it's own sake... but exceptions could be made.

"I do love our little talks, Maya. Or was it Rasa today? Hope maybe?" A quiet chime came from the sensor station, and I glanced over my shoulder in time to see a new icon appear, approaching from out-system extremely rapidly. I smiled grimly, and continued speaking. She was trying to keep me talking to pinpoint my location... and I wanted her focused on that so that she wasn't paying enough attention to what her bridge crew was no doubt panicking over.

"When you attempted to seduce Harper, which personality were you wearing? I assume you weren't so gauche as to appear as yourself." I inserted a disgusted moue into my voice, "Please don't tell me you attempted it in the nude, you must have had _some_ class. _"_

There was a low hiss. " _I hardly need to sleep my way to the top, unlike a certain test-tube Australian bitch."_

My upper lip curled back in a sneer as I turned back to my escape route, ignoring the heavy pounding on the main hatch as I stepped into the tiny space. "To my ancestry so quickly? My, someone didn't come prepared."

Brooks let out a breathy laugh, time that I used to reach up to my neck. Quickly unrolling the bunched up material of my suit, I pulled the protection up and over my face, preparing myself for the potential of exposure. " _I came more than prepared for you. Goodbye, you... what the-Evasive!"_

Despite myself, I turned back to look at the sensor data in time to see the marker for a Batarian heavy cruiser explode out of FTL, the massive ship surging past the _Surabaya_ and raking the smaller ship with her broadside turrets and laser emitters as she did. A light cruiser of similar make snapped into existence farther back, missile tags appearing as she joined the fight, and more wakes began to appear on the sensors as the remainder of the fleet began to catch up with the lead vessels.

" _Pull up and prep to depart!"_ Brooks snarled. _"And kill that bitch!"_

Brooks' sloppiness in not cutting me out of the channel got me moving again. Inhaling sharply, I stepped into the open space of the shaft and let myself fall just as blinding light appeared behind me.

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Location:_ Lazarus Station, Deep Space, Attican Traverse

I entirely missed what Joa said, mostly because Illyan's Spitfire was roaring right next to me as she suppressed the hangar's defenders. My own tech mines streaked out in blue and orange blurs to accompany her gunfire, our shuttle side-slipping to give us more range and the cover offered by a landed Cerberus Kodiak.

Unfortunately the parked shuttle was one of many, the interior of the hangar resembled a bloody parking lot more than anything else. That left plenty of cover for both sides to use, and I couldn't even begin to estimate how many defenders were waiting for us.

"Say again!" The shout came as my boots hit the decking, the rest of my team quickly landing and scurrying forward with me. Terro's squad came vaulting out in our wake, scattering to our left as their own weapons began to speak. "Didn't hear you!"

" _The cruiser bolted!"_ Joa repeated, raising her voice. " _Didn't do more than minor damage to it. It raked the station on its way out though, hit pretty bad above deck ten!"_

Dammit. "Confirmed! Set up a perimeter and make sure no one escapes! Any contact from Lawson?"

" _Negative!"_

Athame's fucking ass. "Terro! Port side doors! Chek! Starboard!"

"And us?" Illyan asked before leaning around the front of the shuttle, her light machine-gun vomiting out a few dozen rounds at someone. "Covering them?"

"Yes." I pointed a finger up, "You and Shyeel, get high. Voya, take her place but bloody _stay_ in cover this time."

The two Asari vanished in biotic blurs, while the Quarian merely rolled her eyes and moved to take Illyan's place. Glaring at the back of her head for a single breath, and hoping that she would actually listen to me this time, I turned and shifted to the back of the shuttle. A quick glance showed me a pair of battered Cerberus shuttles parked in a neat line, with a white clad figure making a check of their own at the nose of the far vehicle.

I saw them before they noticed me, my pistol snapping up to fling a concussion round at them. My aim was a little off, and the round smacked into the shuttle right in front of their helmet. If anything that worked just as well as a direct hit would have, the soldier instinctively recoiling from the flash right in front of their face. Less fortunately, they proved to have excellent reaction times, and I only managed to put one round into their shields before they got themselves back into cover.

Cursing softly, I risked a quick glance at the rear-view in my HUD. Seeing marines in navy and silver leaping free as a shuttle carousel began to rotate through the hangar, and thus confident that I wasn't going to be suddenly flanked, I exhaled and then pushed off from my back foot.

The soldier evidently had had a similar plan, because a grenade whipped right over my left shoulder, the explosive followed up by the Cerberus agent themselves. A deep voice let out a startled oath as I lowed my shoulder, slamming it into his armored chest as the grenade went off back where I had just come from. His reaction times remained excellent, his arms coming down hard with his rifle to try and knock my own away.

Against most other opponents, he probably would have managed it, but I already had my hand cannon pressed into his side and was pulling the trigger before the impact. He went down even as I cursed, shaking my left arm out while my right put two rounds into his helmet to make sure he didn't get back up.

Stepping over the corpse, I risked a check around the prow of the shuttle he'd been using, then immediately cursed and ducked back as the fire from at least two rifles chased me.

" _See them_." Voya reported across comms. She couldn't have been more than three meters away, but the gunfire and explosions made any other communication utterly impossible. " _Two agents, twenty meters, nine degrees left_. _Cover is one meter high._ "

"Thanks." I replied, activating my omni-tool and programming my tech launcher appropriately. Agents meant a pair of overloads followed by an incinerate, the remaining data she'd given me being inputted rapidly to send the mines on the appropriate arc. Not bothering to expose myself, I launched them blind, trusting her aim.

" _Ten degrees left, another incinerate."_ She corrected.

"Seriously?" I adjusted the settings, and then fired off a fourth mine.

" _Shut it and prep another agent pattern."_ My girlfriend replied waspishly, " _Fifteen meters, thirty degrees right, hiding behind a shuttle... call it a high angle dive."_

Grimacing, I settled back and prepared a new launch program. Behind me, another pair of combat engineers arrived, settling down as they likewise began to do their best impression of a mortar team. Shyeel and Illyan began calling out targets whenever Voya became distracted, and I felt my irritation well up a little bit as I realized that the three of them were purposefully keeping me out of the fighting proper.

While that annoyed me, I couldn't exactly deny that I was at lest being useful, and let them string me along for the fifteen minutes it took us to push the defenders out of the hangar proper. Considering how badly we outnumbered them, and the fact that more than one shuttle had been acting as air support with machine gunners firing from their cargo bays, the length of time it had taken didn't bode well.

"They know their ride left." I grimaced as I stalked out from the numerous shuttles, "Dammit, they're going to be back. Aya, you landed yet!?"

"Yes Director!" The woman shouted in reply, emerging from the shuttle park as well and quickly moving in my direction. "Your orders sir?"

I waved my left hand around us, keeping my pistol in my right. "I want the entire _Reliant_ team to secure this hangar. There's supposed to be one other, have all of of the other marines head for and secure it. If they attack, hold them off, then counter-push and start clearing the place. If they don't attack inside of fifteen, start pushing."

"Sir." She gave me a fast, sharp bow, then immediately rounded back and began snapping out orders.

There was a deep grunt as Chek lumbered in my direction, the Krogan towering over Terro's broad-shouldered form. "Guessing we're going hunting for our employer."

"My team is." I corrected him. "Terro, I want you to shadow the marines over to hangar two and back them up. Chek, you'll stay with us until we're close to either the power plant, that's yours, or the control room, which we'll take."

Both men nodded, Terro quickly moving after Aya and motioning for his Lancer team to follow. While he departed, Chek merely waved a hand to summon his own people. "You're the boss, formation?"

"You're up front." I shook my head, "You know your team, we'll follow behind."

The Krogan rumbled something approving, his broad helmet dipping again. "Little Jack, you're up with me. Mirala is on barrier detail this time. And Vessian? You're Washana's personal bullet shield."

Muted laughter came as the Turian hung his head, sighing even as the medic patted him on the arm.

Our amusement didn't last more than a few meters out of the hangar, as we ran into a Cerberus strong-point almost immediately. They'd evidently turned a pilot's lounge into a defensive position, and the four of us fell back while the other team began an almost systematic assault. Chek's style was... not what I normally saw from Krogan, probably the influence of Raik Vol, or maybe Okeer. He directed his people into a steady, implacable advance that didn't resolve the problem quickly... but it sure as fuck solved the problem.

Mirala and Jacqueline rotated barriers seamlessly, absorbing the incoming gunfire while Chek fired off solid rounds from his shotgun and flung grenades to give them some space to advance into the lounge. As soon as they had the chance, Vessian and Washana likewise moved up, throwing their own grenades before opening up with their carbines to keep the defenders honest, forcing them to tighten their formation in preparation for a rush.

The moment they did, Chek barked out a word, and the psychotic biotic and the Ardat'yakshi both threw their hands forwards. A singularity flowed out from the latter, snapping into place above the defenders a scarce heartbeat before two neat streams of warpfire slammed into it, detonating the power.

Two of the nine defenders were alive to be negligently executed in the aftermath, and then we continued our advance.

"Boring." Voya muttered as she walked over a body. "We'd have cleared it twice as fast."

"I dunno." I replied as we resume our trek down the hall, following the signs for both the station's power plant and a lift bank. Nearly all of the emergency doors had shut, which made it rather slow going as we scanned each for traps before opening them. Though at least the closed doors removed the threat of a continuous barrage down the long hallway... little victories. "That was a rather efficient plan."

Shyeel hummed, "It was pretty solid, but she's got a point Cie. Hey, Washana? You always run with that setup?"

The medic glanced back at us, then returned her eyes to the front as she replied. "Maybe half the time? We have a few little routines that Miss T'Laria drilled into us, they're more like what you usually do sir."

A muscle in my cheek twitched. "Washana, no one who went through Redcliffe or Omega has to call me sir... and you never bloody did in the first place."

"I know sir." The young maiden replied easily. Illyan made a strangled sound of amusement, her helmet's visor not anywhere near mine when I turned to glare at her. My own reply was swallowed by another burst of gunfire that sent all of us into side-rooms, empty cabins mostly, as we ran into another group of Cerberus soldiers holed up in the open space around the lifts.

This time Chek did things more to Voya's satisfaction, probably out of a desire to avoid damaging the elevators right behind the defenders.

So instead he simply had his biotics throw barriers up to protect him as he roared and stampeded directly into the small knot of defenders. Harriers were fantastic weapons, but they were also heavy, unwieldy, and didn't have the best heat management. They managed to shatter the extra protection in front of him, but all four had to replace their thermal clips. Two made the mistake of trying, while the other pair fell back on the weapon's default heat sink and simply held their triggers down in panic fire.

He took at least two, maybe three hits that breached his thick armor, but from the annoyed sounds he made as he killed them none hit anything serious. Washana still let out a petite little growl and darted forwards, checking over her towering commander even as he hefted his glowing shotgun up onto a shoulder.

"Looks like we part ways here Cie." He rumbled, entirely ignoring the medic when she smacked his chest and told him to stop moving. "Power is straight on through, Command is up."

"Right." I glanced at the lifts, then snapped my eyes to the right when Illyan motioned towards an emergency tube. "Get there, see if any of Lawson's people are alive. Hold until relieved, and try not got get shot again."

"Where's the fun in that?" He asked as innocently as a seven century old Krogan could. His massive frame almost immediately flinched as Washana jabbed a hypo directly into his wound, a deep grunt coming out. "...and there's the reminder of who really runs the team."

Jacqueline let out a quiet cackle, joining Mirala in taking point in place of Chek. He motioned for Vessian to follow them, he and Washana slowly bringing up the rear. I watched them go, then glanced over to see Illyan and Voya open up the small hatch to reveal a ladder.

"Damn." Illyan muttered, glancing back at me. "Boss, this ladder only goes up one floor."

Shit. "...right, Shyeel, cloak and head up. Voya be ready to back her up. We'll wait."

Both women nodded, vanishing in soft shimmers of light. It didn't take them long to report that there wasn't anyone directly above us, and we quickly hauled ourselves up with them. We had to repeat the process twice more before we reached the evident command deck... where we ran into a new problem.

"Well..." Shyeel sighed as she stared at the door's control panel. "At least we know we won't run into anyone on the other side. Any chance she's not in there?"

I grimaced and keyed my comms, "Anyone have contact with Lawson?"

" _Cie, Jack."_ She responded promptly, " _We've linked up with some black-clad assholes at power, they say their boss was last seen in control. Stayed behind to try and keep some other bitch distracted or some shit. She hasn't been on comms since the station was hit."_

My expression worsened. "Athame's... all right. Sitrep?"

" _Killed about ten of the fucks so far."_ It was easy to imagine her shrugging boredly, " _But they're pulling back. Locals say they're tracking them towards hangar two, probably trying to get the fuck out of here."_

"Terro, you copy that?"

" _I did,"_ The Quarian male replied, " _As did Commander Aya. We'll be more than prepared for them."_

"Good." I let out a sharp breath, "Did you find Shepard?"

" _Negative."_

Goddess fucking... "Shit. Right, we're going to find Lawson. Send sitreps as warranted."

They both clicked their mics and then cut the line, leaving my friends and I to recheck our equipment prior to walking out into vacuum. Only once we were sure that we were ready, we activated the magnetic strips in our boots and braced ourselves for decompression. The sound of air roaring out into space was as unsettling as ever, and I had to resist the urge to step closer to Voya.

If any of them noticed my unease, they didn't comment on it... though from the way all four of us tightened our formation up, they were at least as uncomfortable as I was.

"Laser." Voya muttered as we cautiously moved into a hallway, the far end of which had no ceiling. Just an endless array of stars. "Neat burn lines... _keelah,_ we're not going to find much."

"She's our employer." I exhaled inside my helmet. "We have to make the effort. Come on, we've got a time limit for our air so let's make this fast."

We set off again, carefully picking our way through the debris. The artificial gravity was a mixed blessing, making it easier to move but also ensuring that there was quite a bit of slagged crap in our way. It took us a good twenty minutes to travel the short distance to the command center proper, or what was left of it.

The strike hadn't been a direct hit, instead coming in one floor above and ripping the ceiling apart while leaving the main room largely intact.

"No bodies." Illyan mused, "Would have been yanked into space... think she's gone boss."

I let out a slow breath. "Maybe... somehow I doubt it. Emergency hatch right there, we'll take that back down to atmosphere and then double back to the hangar. We'll have to check each and every shuttle for Shepard, and have Aya's people sweep the whole station for Lawson."

She grunted, reaching out and hauling the hatch open. There was a sound of surprise, then she spoke up again, "Barrier curtain inside here... shit. I can see blood way down below us."

"Drop down." I snapped, "Shyeel, go with."

Illyan was already moving, squeezing her towering frame through the hatch. Then, with a quick inhalation, she stepped off into the open and dropped, her biotics flaring lightly to slow her. Shyeel moved around Voya and I, then likewise let herself fall. I followed more conventionally, using my lanky arms and legs to take the rungs two at a time while Voya hauled the hatch shut behind us.

We found Lawson quickly enough, all we'd had to do was follow the blood and then dodge the gunfire she directed our way.

"Athame's fucking ass!" My shout saw her fire abruptly stop, and I stomped into the small store-room that she'd turned into her fort. "Frankenstein, only you would shoot at the people trying to save you... fuck me, not again."

Miranda Lawson let out a quietly little laugh, her right arm dropping her rifle even as her left continued to try and hold her stomach shut. "I... am... not... thrilled... either. We have... gnh... problems."

"No shit." Tearing a medigel packet off of my belt, I surged forwards, setting my gun down and checking the wound. "How long have you been bleeding?"

"I'll... be fine." Her throat worked, "Shepard... was taken. We have to move. Cronos."

...shit "Shyeel-"

"I'm here," She appeared on Miranda's other side, her own hands pulling her limited medical supplies our. "Shit, we have to get her to the _Reliant."_

"And then we need to leave." I grimaced. "Shit... T'Soni is going to lose her goddess-damned mind."

* * *

 _ **Next ups is: Unleashed Wolves V**_

 _And our pseudo extended prologue nears its end. One more relatively short chapter will follow, after which the first interlude should kick off the first of the full length chapters as the story finds its footing and gets moving. It's going to be a rather complicated feature, given the number of moving parts and the small horde of butterflies that have been hard at work for the last few story years._

 _The core of the story will remain a variation of ME-2, but you can also expect elements of ME-3 to creep in, along with a good dose of side problems._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat


	6. Operation: Unleashed Wolves V

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 _Quick little reminder: my deviant page has basic images of a few of the ships in question that participate in this chapter if you wish to have the reference. Can be found at katkiller5 . deviantart . com_

* * *

 **Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Date:_ 08-06-2186

 _Location: SBS Reliant,_ Approaching Cronos Station, Horse Head Nebula, Attican Traverse

* * *

Shockingly, the situation was a fucking mess.

We had managed to batter the _Surabaya_ before she lit out at FTL, laming her enough that Joa had felt confident that we could take the time to discharge at Lazarus station before Lawson's remaining people detonated its core. The extra time that we'd bought ourselves worked in our favor, letting me quickly try to summon back the Eclipse detachment that had been lurking near the borders of the Terminus. They had arrived... but minus half their numbers, the remainder having been called back to Illium to refit in advance of the Geth campaign.

So instead of having a carrier, seven cruisers, with more than twenty ships supporting... we had a carrier with only one cruiser and nine escorts. Worse, the time that had allowed us to get at least a few reinforcements had also worked to assist Cerberus.

By the time we'd gotten to Cronos, so had Petrovsky.

Thankfully, we had a plan for that situation, and all of the intelligence that Miranda could provide from her hospital bed. Less thankfully, what intel she'd been able to provide had setup an extremely awkward battlespace. Cronos Station lurked uncomfortably close to a burning red giant, its exact position obscured by the stellar crap that the star was throwing off. While the star was cold by the standard of a continuous nuclear process, it was still a goddess-damned star, and no one wanted to fight near it.

Which left us in our current situation, with three fleets all lurking at different points around the system and lashing out with active sensors and fighter sweeps to keep track of each other. We had already put all of our marines on their shuttles and sent them to drift in deep space just outside of the system, letting them wait out the fight rather than leaving them on ships that could be blown apart shortly.

Our main problem, given that our objective was to board the station rather than destroy it, was that we had to approach it to suppress its defenses to get our combat shuttles aboard. Petrovsky, knowing this, was content to lurk farther out, ready to move in and pin us against the star's heat the moment we made our move. Pinning him in place wasn't practicable given how many ships Lawson thought we'd need to batter the station into submission, and how many ships we'd need to hold Cerberus's fleet at bay while we did that.

Unfortunately... we didn't have the time for a better plan. The longer that we delayed, the better the odds that Shepard would be shoved onto a new ship and taken away.

"Cie." Joa called back from her command chair, "We've got a transmission from the _Admiral Scheer._ The asshole wants to talk."

I snorted quietly, "I suppose we can give him a chance to quit. Put him through."

There was a flicker of light on the holographic tank in front of me, the map minimizing to hover up near the ceiling while an image of General Petrovsky came into focus at eye level. He was dressed in light body armor, seated in a command chair of his own as he stared back at me.

" _Kean._ " He accented voice didn't betray any tension despite the situation. " _Are you truly willing to risk Shepard's life in a battle here? You will have to bombard the station to reach her."_

Well, at least he wasn't bothering to lie about what this was actually about. "The question is are _you_ willing to risk her life by forcing me to bombard the station. I would obviously prefer her alive, but I would rather see her killed again than turned into a mindless puppet."

" _We will do what we must to satisfy duty."_ He replied, my barb not visibly bothering him. " _Even if you do win, you will suffer hideously. Are you prepared?"_

"Yes." I managed to state the word with more confidence than I felt. "Because causing us pain is all you can do. You can't win this fight, General. This is your one chance to surrender your ships to Lawson's organization."

The Cerberus officer snorted, " _I will not dignify that with a response. I have been looking forwards to this day for a long time, mercenary. Let us see whose king will remain when the board empties."_

He cut the line before I could reply, and I felt myself grimace. "Joa, connect me to the station... and let's get this shit over with."

I heard her grunt loudly, "Right, let's kill these fuckers. Gerial, tell Summerset to get the Eclipse moving. Sooner we break his formation apart the sooner we can focus our firepower, then signal the fleet to accelerate to combat velocity."

I felt my grip tighten around the railing as the ship's core fluttered, drawing up to full power in preparation for combat. The display before us shifted as the fleets fell into the respective places. Joa's fleet was forming up in a Batarian battle sphere, the _Reliant_ in the center, our light cruisers and destroyers arranged in close order around us. A second 'sphere', consisting of all of our frigates and corvettes surrounded us in turn, providing the maximum overlap of our point defense weapons.

In contrast, Ajax force had separated into something else. Petrovsky's core ships had formed up in a loose wave, while his frigates had assembled into three distinct wolf-packs, each back-stopped by a destroyer. He'd moved them into some kind of three dimensional grouping around his core group, itself centered around the massive _Admiral Scheer_ , and all four of his groups were moving in a slower burn than our own, pacing us as we began to vector towards to the station.

Shyeel sucked in a slow breath, the branded Asari my only companion at the back of the bridge since Voya and Illyan were both down in engineering. Lawson was strapped to a medical bed against her own protests, with Chambers there to assist the doctors as best she could.

The second call I'd made came in a moment later, the rather pretty features of Maya Brooks appearing.

"This is an ultimatum." I told her before she could utter a word, "I don't have anything against you personally, so you have two options. Either surrender right fucking now, in which case I'll parole you and any staff to a Traverse world of your choice... or you stay the fuck out of this fight and we can negotiate in the aftermath."

Her jaw clenched a little. " _And if I refuse either option?"_

"Your station is going to take our first few volleys to make sure you aren't a threat." I replied bluntly, "And the odds of Shepard, and you, ending up dead increase exponentially. I don't know what your plan is, but I think it's a safe assumption that it requires the pair of you to still be alive."

A pink tongue appeared as she licked her lips, anger, hatred, and fear all crossing her features... then she visibly forced herself to nod. " _Option two."_

I grunted, not terribly surprised. She had better odds of resisting a boarding attempt than she did of helping Petrovsky and she knew it. At least, initially... if Petrovsky kept the fight close or was advantaged, and dragged us near the station, she'd probably fire up its missile bays and join in. But that was a problem for later.

"Shut the station's barriers down and draw down your core from full power." I instructed her. "Anything tries to leave the station, or we pick up a power spike, we assume you're trying to fuck us over and we throw everything we've got at you."

Brooks grimaced, but nodded again and relayed the order to someone off screen. I glanced at Shyeel, and when she twitched her chin in the affirmative I exhaled and cut the line without another wasted word. "Shields down?"

"Yes... for now, anyway. And there goes the Eclipse." My friend murmured quietly, shifting her gaze from the station's readout as the golden icons of our allies began their own maneuver, accelerating into a high speed burn that would let them rake across Petrovsky's aft at knife fighting range.

"Yeah." I exhaled, watching as the _Thousand Cuts_ began to disgorge her fighter wings, the carrier lurking behind the smaller force screening her. In return, two of the Cerberus wolf packs promptly adjusted their positions on the z-axis. The ones 'above' and 'below' the cruiser flotilla rotated their position as if they were tethered to the flagship, positioning themselves to block the strike craft that had already begun to move in those directions.

But the remaining wolf pack actually began to lunge forwards, clearly angling to swing above and behind us, while the cruiser group lead by the Cerberus flagship began to accelerate more or less directly after us.

Joa's voice rang out before we could say anything else, "Sound collision warning. All ships to go weapons free per battle plan."

A simulated Asari war-horn blasted twice from the speakers, artificial gravity shutting off as power was thrown into far more vital systems. Ahead of us, the bridge crew noticeably tensed even further, leaning closer to their screens and haptic displays. For my part, I could only grimace in time with Shyeel, both of us making sure our boots were secured on the decking as we tightened our grips on the railing.

"He's accelerating more." Shyeel grimaced, "What do you think his plan is? By the goddess, we outnumber him three to fucking one."

I bit my lip, then shook my head. "Not sure. He's got six cruisers to our three though... and that battle-cruiser is a bloody problem. Maybe he wants to smash into our formation and take out our heart, that would probably make Brooks confident enough that she'd activate the station's defenses again. Then he just pulls up near it and keeps our light ships away until she's got Shepard ready to go, then they bail... Athame's ass, that's just a fucking guess."

"Hate this." She muttered as the various icons continued to close with one another, sensor data from our ships, the Eclipse, and probes launched in random arcs feeding our targeting systems as Joa's staff quickly began allocating targets to the fleet. The stellar radiation and ECM was making that more difficult than it nominally should have been, but not to the point where it was seriously delaying anything... I hoped. "Really fucking hate it."

"Same." I replied, wishing that I knew enough about this shit to offer anything more substantial. Historical knowledge of blue water combat didn't really mean shit compared to the chaos of three dimensional space combat... which left me as a passenger, just hoping that Joa and the crew knew what the fuck they were doing. It would have been nice to talk with her about this kind of shit, and I had somewhat in our down-time, but right now we didn't really have the luxury of chatting.

At our fleet commander's next order, the engagement began.

Our fleet abruptly ceased its forward acceleration towards the station, letting momentum continue to carry us on the right course even as all of our ships performed a rapid end-over-end flip to face back towards the incoming Cerberus fleet. Individual icons promptly began to 'shiver' in place on the screen as the vessels in question began to make rapid but small changes to their position with maneuvering thrusters, making themselves as difficult a target as possible.

The actual shooting began with missiles and torpedoes, and I was able to note a difference between Joa's Asari-Batarian tactics and the evident Human ones used by Petrovsky. The Cerberus ships more or less vanished behind a swarm of tiny markers as they fired off a single massive volley of ordnance, likely to try and breach our defenses through sheer volume. In contrast, our own vessels began ripple-firing a steady stream of missiles, aimed more to wear down Petrovsky's point defenses by making them stay constantly active.

While the Cerberus ships actually separated further as they began to maneuver as best a rapidly accelerating cruiser could, their point defenses coming online, our own formation actually tightened to something I thought almost suicidally close as GARDIAN lasers and light turret-mounted cannon began lashing out to try and destroy the incoming weapons before they could reach us.

"Brace yourself." Shyeel murmured as the wave of icons drew ever closer.

Grimacing, I did so, half-listening as Joa started snapping off orders, our tight, spherical formation abruptly ballooning outwards to give each ship more room to take evasive action in the last minute before the missiles reached us.

The short time between that moment and the incoming arrivals, I had enough time to note what was happening on the other side of the fight. Admiral Summerset had abruptly adjusted his formation, letting his armored carrier surge forwards and re-arranging his vessels into a traditional big-ship-out-front Asari formation. That, along with his strike craft breaking away from their attack runs to begin a diving acceleration below the battle plane had evidently confused the crap out of the Cerberus ships in front of him.

Three of their own frigates promptly broke away, angling themselves to intercept the fighters and bombers surging after Petrovsky's cruisers, while the remaining ships separated out to try and swarm around the onrushing attackers. Missiles, torpedoes, and spinal guns began to lash out, followed quickly by the carrier's heavy broadside batteries as the battle was joined.

I didn't have the ability to watch the rest of that engagement, the collision alarm sounding once again as one of the Batarian crew bellowed that everyone needed to brace themselves right the fuck now.

Unsurprisingly, the _Reliant_ as our only heavy cruiser present had drawn a good portion of the incoming missiles. The tight formation we'd initiated in had allowed our defenses to shoot down most, but _most_ didn't mean _all_ , and several snuck through the screen. Our helmsmen abruptly shifted course at the last moment, flaring our thrusters to angle the ship awkwardly. One missile screamed past wide, while another was caught at the last moment by a GARDIAN laser from a nearby corvette.

The remaining all impacted the ship's port side in rapid sequence, briefly shorting out our shields enough for three to find our hull.

My armor stopped the railing I was clinging to from crushing my stomach, but I still coughed and gasped for air as the ship shuddered around us.

"Impact report!" Joa snarled, "Helm, straighten us out!"

A flanging Turian shouted back to her, "Turret Kej is gone! Kia is locked but intact, port heat belt lost cells one through three! Repair teams are mobile!"

"Tell them to move! Focus fire, CL-two!"

In due course, the ship began to shudder again, but this time from the recoil of our spinal guns. Sucking in more breath, I managed to focus my eyes on the massive display in front of me, checking over our fleet for damage.

We hadn't exactly come out unscathed. The _Ehsadin_ wasn't responding to the system's automatic pings, and neither was the _Nerrati._ The _Cusho_ was adjusting itself slowly, the Batarian light cruiser angling to use the _Shokari_ , her sister, as cover to protect their shattered starboard armor plates... and I couldn't see the icons for the _Helldiver_ or the _Pride of Vikkit_ at all. Two corvettes were pulling hard away from the engagement, along with another pair of frigates, their names followed by a string of runes detailing their crippled systems.

Slightly better was the increasing amount of damage our steady stream of firepower was causing, aided by the _Reliant, Cusho,_ and _Shokari_ opening up with our heaviest guns. Two of Petrovsky's frigates were little more than flying clouds of debris, and another took a direct torpedo hit and more or less disintegrated even as I watched. The wolf pack's destroyer flagship was drifting wildly out of control as well, a battered frigate moving with it and apparently taking on life-boats.

But the six big ships were still oncoming, even if both of his line cruisers had begun to lag behind the others as damage accumulated and their point defense systems began to overheat. Joa's target, its IFF was broadcasting as the _Chengdu_ , had evidently taken enough missile hits that her shields had collapsed entirely. The incoming fire from all three of our cruisers smashed into her bow, successive impacts tearing the armor and emergency shielding systems apart.

The third volley finished her off, striking something volatile deep in her heart, the cruiser abruptly expanding before detonating in a flash of light from the main screen behind me. At the same time, Petrovsky had selected his own victim, one of our remaining destroyers. The old _Helladin_ had joined our 'outer sphere' in trying to finish off the last two Cerberus frigates even as the light ships hurled a final defiant volley of torpedoes and missiles at us.

The _Admiral Scheer'_ s main guns smashed the destroyer's shields, and her abrupt attempt to maneuver out of the way came out to nothing as the second volley found her plating... and a hundred men and women died instantly as the ship's hull shattered under the titanic blows.

"Roll twenty degrees to port, angle at twenty-one-point-five!" If Joa was concerned, she was doing a good job of projecting her usual ruthless confidence. "Tell ul Fera to concentrate the frigates' fire on CL-three, the cruisers are to take down CL-one! Corvettes to fire their last missiles at the flag. Once the escorts drop, all ships to close to knife range of the _Scheer!"_

I could only hold on, sparing a quick glance for Shyeel to see her just as fixated on the display in front of us as I had been. It was quickly becoming something close to incomprehensible with the sheer number of crap flying around, with missiles still streaming out from all of our ships even as the remaining Cerberus cruisers cut loose with another volley, and debris and crippled ships were drifting in every direction.

The Eclipse's situation wasn't much better, the Cerberus wolf packs having evidently jumped straight to knife range to keep them from getting behind Petrovsky. Icons were flashing and vanishing as ships exchanged vicious broadsides and point-blank volleys of missiles and torpedoes. About the only good thing I could see from that direction was that the Eclipse's fighters had managed to draw the intercepting frigates away from the bombers, which were making their torpedo runs against the cruisers that had begun to lag behind.

Things didn't get much clearer as the next salvo was exchanged. Both sides had more or less dropped any pretense of formation, our light ships accelerating into arcs that would let them spiral around the engagement even as our cruisers tried to angle themselves to keep our main guns in line with our targets.

We lost another two frigates, and a corvette to the missile volley, and a third small ship came apart when the _Scheer_ caught her with a broadside volley, but our own torpedoes and missiles tore the _Miskolc_ apart while the _Mainz_ began an uncontrolled acceleration 'downwards' that abruptly cut out as the crippled ship began to drift. Unfortunately the two cruisers didn't go down without taking the already battered _Cusho_ with them, our own light cruiser becoming a little more than a drifting wreck.

Which just left us, the _Shokari,_ and our last destroyer, the _Jagged Blade_ , to engage the _Admiral Scheer_ up close and personal. Our remaining frigates and corvettes, most now out of missiles and torpedoes, began to close as well, to try and help with their GARDIAN emitters and light cannons.

"Tell Idia to bring the _Shokari_ behind us, and put _Jagged_ behind her!" My grip tightened as Joa kept barking orders, "We'll hit her side in sequence before she can try and roll on us!"

The still accelerating battle-cruiser came on hard as we rolled to present our undamaged starboard side to her. We had the initial advantage, our turret mounted secondary guns joining our GARDIAN arrays in raking at the _Scheer_ before she could reply, her own lasers busy knocking down the last missiles chasing her, and her fixed broadside guns not yet properly angled.

Unfortunately, once she did, those fixed guns threw a lot heavier weight than our own smaller weapons did. The _Reliant,_ for her size and armor, wasn't really intended for this kind of fight. She and her class had been the Hegemony's answer to human wolf-pack formations, sacrificing firepower for the accuracy and broad firing arcs needed to swat down nimble frigates and destroyers... she had never been intended to lay along side a bigger ship and exchange body blows.

Once again I felt myself thrown into the damned railing, the magnetic strips in our boots the only thing keeping Shyeel and I in place as the ship shuddered as heavy rounds began to hammer at us. Our shields, not the strongest for our size, collapsed quickly, and explosions began to tear at our flank

I more or less lost track of anything in those moments, just holding on for dear life as Petrovsky's flagship pummeled us. At some point we began to roll, trying to take the hits on our more intact plating and to bring what port-side turrets remained into the fight. The _Scheer_ likely did the same as our fire and the _Shokari'_ s finally breached her own shields, starting the process of tearing into her own armor alongside what lasers were still firing.

Then the battle-cruiser was past our line formation, and managed to drag my half-drowned mind back onto the beach.

"Athame's fucking tits..." The words came more or less unbidden from my throat as I managed to get a better look at the read-out. The _Scheer_ had ceased accelerating, small runic icons showing the massive damage along her starboard and ventral sides, damage that was still accumulating as our escorts pushed almost suicidally close to let their light guns fire in the holes rent in her sides. The big ship's engines fluttered once, then ceased, her remaining maneuvering thrusters trying to push her into a spin to bring her intact weaponry to bear against her small tormentors.

The _Shokari_ was, oddly, showing as intact, her captain accelerating a bit to keep her ship between us and the _Scheer._ The _Jagged Blade_ hadn't been as fortunate, showing heavy damage as she labored to vector herself away from the combat zone.

"We're... out of the fight." Shyeel gasped, coughing once and rubbing at her chest. She'd evidently hit the railing harder than I had, but she still seemed cognizant and wasn't pale. "Athame's holy azure..."

I could only swallow as I read the same read-out she was looking at. All four of our starboard turrets had been destroyed, and nearly five layers of our internal armor 'honeycomb' had been breached on that side. Three of our four port turrets were likewise out of action, as was our heavier dorsal mount, and about the only section of armor still showing as intact was our belly... probably because we'd moved past the _Scheer_ before our rotation carried the incoming fire to that area.

"Joa?" I rose my voice enough to be heard, "Sitrep?"

My friend coughed once, then shouted back, "We're out of this fight Cie, I'm angling us into a high orbit around the station with our ventral surface facing it. I'm transferring command to Captain Idia, she's going to take the _Shokari_ back in and finish that asshole off."

"Confirmed!" I called back, trying to make sense of the rest of the data. If I'd thought it was a mess before, now it was even farther beyond that as ships began reaching their heat tolerance and angling themselves away from the burning star behind us.

What I could see was the _Shokari_ flip herself end for end once again, and begin a slow acceleration burn to drift in the wake of the crippled battle-cruiser.

The expected call came in shortly thereafter, Petrovsky's image appearing before me once again. He had a bandage over his forehead, and didn't look nearly so relaxed and confident as he had before.

" _Kean."_ He grimaced. " _It would seem that we were both right, in a way."_

I merely glared at him. "I don't find that amusing. What do you want?"

His fingers tightened around his chair slightly, " _I am no longer capable of matching your remaining ship's maneuvers, and your allies have taken apart my screening force. I wish to surrender what crew I have left to spare them."_

My glare remained in place. "You honestly think that I'm going to spare your life? We both knew how this was going to fucking go, and you fought us anyway."

 _"Duty and honor insisted I make the attempt."_ He replied. " _I had hoped that your munitions were not modern, and that your ships ill-cared for. In such a situation I might have been able to-"_

"Stop delaying." I interrupted sharply, not at all in the mood for his shit.

" _Very well... I hereby surrender myself and my ships, and ask that you allow my crews to live."_ It clearly cost him something to say that. " _Intern them however you wish, parole them to a Traverse world, or even maroon them... just allow them to live."_

I stared at him for several long breaths, then glanced at Shyeel. Her scarred face drew into a slow frown, then she exhaled and shook her head once. I contemplated her for a few moments longer, then exhaled and stabbed a finger to cut the line.

"Tell Idia to kill them." I spoke into the quiet of the bridge, trusting that everyone could hear me. "Destroy any escape pods that haven't gone to FTL already... and someone get that bitch Brooks on the line again."

There was a long pause, then a quiet curse from the Batarian woman at communications. "No response from the station sir, it's shields are coming back online."

Joa groaned loudly, "Tell Summerset to get his carrier over here and start bombarding that thing, her starboard broadsides are still showing as intact and the station shouldn't be able to hurt her at long range. The bitch on that station should stop fucking around the moment we breach her protection... all other ships not conducting emergency repairs are to form a perimeter and shoot anything trying to escape."

"And," I added, watching as the _Shokari_ 's main gun began firing, her munitions tearing into the heart of Petrovsky's ship. "Signal the shuttle fleet, tell them it's time for boarding procedures... let's get Shepard and get this fucking over with."

* * *

 _ **Next ups is: Unleashed Wolves VI**_

 _All right, this chapter was initially planned, then cut, then put back in after Blocked didn't quite like the next chapter as a satisfactory conclusion to the operation. As he was entirely correct after I thought about it for a bit, you all get a chapter entirely devoted to a naval engagement._

 _The next chapter will cover the boarding of Cronos station, as well as the butcher's bill for the fight within this one. For the first time in a very long time, the next chapter is already done, so the old rule gets to come back out. Twelve reviews gets it posted, otherwise it will go up sometime next week after I finish the next._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat

* * *

 _ ** **Review Responses:****_

The Invisible Pretender: I quite like Miranda actually, just like I quite like Cieran. : )


	7. Operation: Unleashed Wolves VI

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _Date:_ 08-06-2186

 _Location:_ Cronos Station, Horse Head Nebula, Attican Traverse

* * *

The alarms woke me.

Deep, booming klaxons assaulted my eardrums, a lifetime of training sending adrenaline into my heart before my sleeping brain could truly process the knowledge that the _Normandy_ was under attack, that I had to get up. The unfortunate part of a having a reflexive reaction was that my body didn't bother to check with my brain before trying to leap out of my bed, resulting in my head smashing into a wall of metal that shouldn't have been there.

Pain exploded across my skull, and I felt myself slump against some kind of padding as I gasped and forced my eyes open.

My initial thought, that Liara had somehow kicked me out of bed with her biotics and that I'd smashed my head into the bulkhead, fled quickly as I realized that I was... inside of something. A sleeper pod? Why would I be in one of the _Normandy's_ sleeper pods instead of in the... the...

No... no that wasn't right. The _Normandy..._ she was gone. I remembered...

Fingers clawed on instinct for where the release hatch would be on a standard-issue pod, my nails futilely scratching at bare metal. My heartbeat began to hammer more rapidly as something close to panic set in, the alarms, the memories, the claustrophobia all rushing in.

Somewhere in the mad scrambling I managed to grab onto something that felt like a handle, hauling hard. The thing snapped off in my hand, but a gentle chime sounded and the front section of the pod fell away. I went with it, my panic not letting me realize that the pod had been been vertical instead of horizontal.

Cold metal promptly informed me that I was somewhere with working gravity, and that I wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

"Focus." I muttered into the floor, using the pain to push the panic back. "Focus dammit. You're the fucking Lioness."

Sucking in a breath, I forced myself to push off, rising to a crouch as I took in the room around me. My first guess was... that I was in a storage closet of some kind, and that I definitely wasn't on the _Normandy_. I had one door, a bunch of crates labeled as rations, and a pair of omni-gel tanks. The pod I'd fallen out of, and it definitely looked like an upgraded sleeper pod, had been shoved into a corner and hastily hooked up to a few power lines. From the various alarms blinking on the side, said cables had failed to give it enough juice to actually keep me asleep.

More importantly... there weren't any weapons. Or a nice, heavy suit of armor. Or even a basic omni-tool. Or a biotic amplifier. Or clothes. Or explanations as to why I'd gone from the _Normandy_ 's bridge, desperately trying to lure the attackers away from the escape pods as everything exploded around me, to being stuck inside of a storage closet while alarms shrieked in the distance.

Or where Liara was... or where anyone else was for that matter.

If this was Heaven, I wasn't impressed. If this was Hell, I was even less impressed.

Grimacing, I pushed myself the rest of the way to my feet and did a cursory check of my own body.

I... didn't like what I saw. I definitely wasn't dead, but I wasn't quite sure that I was _me_ either.

I was pale, even more so than usual, but also entirely missing the small legion of scars that I'd picked up over my violent life. The constant ache from my not-quite-proper cybernetic ankle was gone, and a quick roll of my shoulders didn't cause the usual whine from the myomer that had replaced most of the tendons after my first brawl with Saren. A lifetime of little aches and pains just wasn't there anymore, and I couldn't feel the usual tinge that would have told me if I had drugs in my system.

Worse, a closer look at my skin revealed it to be utterly hairless, and... slightly off _._ Synthetic flesh covered pretty much everything, save for whatever fake hair was hanging from my scalp, but the muscles rippling beneath my skin were as thick and in shape as ever.

Which was very, very wrong.

I knew how much work had to go into staying in shape after a surgery, and Christ only knew how much work I'd needed or how long it had taken... and I was pretty sure that my breasts were smaller. What the actual _fuck_ was going on?

"Priorities Kaya." I muttered aloud, "Priorities. Where is the most important right now. What happened to you can wait until your somewhere secure."

Obvious fact, I'd needed a lot of work after whatever had happened to me. Since my last memories were those of... suffocation and fire, that didn't really surprise me. Another obvious fact, the Alliance hadn't been the ones who put me back together. The closet and lack of doctors swarming over me more or less gave that away.

Considering that we'd been in the Terminus when we'd been attacked... there were plenty of bad options, up unto and including whoever had destroyed my ship.

A quick examination of the sleeper pod didn't give me anything, beside the worrying fact that the thing had been programmed to _keep_ me unconscious, and I turned away from it in favor of the exit. To my intense surprise, it actually opened when I hit the controls, revealing a dimly lit hallway consisting mostly of white floors and gray walls.

Keeping myself back, I risked a quick glance in both directions. Doors at either end of the hall, the alarm still going... couldn't tell the direction it was coming from. Quieter noises accompanied it, audible without the closet door in the way, but I couldn't quite make out what any of them were. Heavy machinery moving maybe... not gunfire, I would have recognized that, but it was definitely familiar...

"Shit." I cursed as I placed the repetitive whirring-clank sound with the appropriate memory. Somewhere, right above me from the sounds of it, a missile tube was being repeatedly loaded and then firing its payload out into space. The sound continued for a good fifteen seconds as the system ripple-fired its entire payload, then went ominously quiet.

This ship, or station, or whatever it was, was under attack, and that meant I needed to get moving. The hatch to my left was closer, and without any obvious cover or signs, took precedence. Moving in a low crouch, I stuck as tightly to the wall as I could, cautiously reaching out to open the hatch as I reached it.

Another risky glance showed me that I'd found a lounge of some kind, complete with a few tables, a couple of couches, a high-end vid player, and assorted food supplies. Much of it had been knocked about, as if people had moved through here in a hurry, but there wasn't any obvious battle damage. That, and the lack of gunfire, meant I still had at least _some_ time, and I forced myself to slow down a little.

Weaponry, however primitive, was something I'd needed, and I moved towards the sink and coffee maker, grabbing at drawers and hoping. Number five proved to be the lucky one, a small ceramic knife with a purple hilt was resting along with a variety of other silverware, and I wasted little time in ripping the plastic sheath off.

The room lacked any kind of console that I could see, and had only a single door marked 'Prow Wing'. A quick glance backwards confirmed that the hallway I'd come from was noted as 'Storage', and I headed towards the prow of whatever construct I was on. Opening it revealed another hallway, this one far longer, with more hatchways... and a pair of windows near the far end.

Getting my bare feet moving in a quick, easy lope, I glanced at the various doors as I passed them. Conference Room Three. Conference Room Two. C-G-VAT One. None were open, and since none of them rhymed with 'armory', I elected to ignore them in favor of the windows... or rather, glass hatchways now that I could see them properly.

I hissed and ducked back as I saw two people hastily moving around on the other side of a tiny decontamination chamber, crouching down and forcing myself to listen.

"...wipe everything!" A man snapped, his tones harried, frustrated. "How the hell did they find us again?"

"Does it matter?" Another male growled back, his voice high, reedy, and close to panicking. "We have to get out of here! Forget the damned computers!"

"No!" Harried all but shouted. "We have to maintain the plan!"

"The plan!?" Panicked all but screeched. "Did you hear about what happened at Minuteman!? If we stay they're going to butcher us!"

"And if we don't keep the to plan you're going to wake up with a sword in your chest." Harried retaliated. "Clear that drive, then get to the storage room and check on subject one. I'll get the mechs there and you can take it to the shuttle."

I felt my grip on the little knife tighten, not having any difficulties in working out just who they were talking about. Biting my lip, I cursed silently and risked another quick glance through the decontamination area, jerking back the moment my eyes took in what I needed to know. It was a small lab, with two men in full hazard suits working frantically at a pair of terminals. Neither had looked armed.

There hadn't been anyone else around, and as soon as Panicked got to my sleeper pod and found it empty he'd set off another alarm. Which left me with just one option if I wanted to get some answers.

Settling into a low, combat crouch, I waited for my moment of opportunity.

"...oh no." I could hear Panicked gasp in between the distant thrum of the alarm. "The pod is showing empty, the bitch woke up! The fucking power was re-routed to the station's barriers when the alarm sounded!"

"Dammit!" Harried cursed. "Shit, you locked the door, right?"

"Of course!" I couldn't help but roll my eyes, "What the fuck do we do though? I'm not going into that fucking room!"

"You're in a full goddamned environment suit and she won't have a weapon or her biotics." His evident boss was obviously out of patience. "Grab a few of the canisters from the clone vats and fumigate the hall before you open the door. She'll be out in five seconds then you can shove her back inside."

"I... then we're leaving, right?"

"Yes! Now _move_ your worthless ass! We've got boarding shuttles incoming, and the _Isis_ is already dead in space!"

I swallowed and tensed my legs as I heard frantic movement, and then the sound of a door being hauled open. There was a low, annoyed beep followed by a polite female voice protesting that the decontamination cycle was not supposed to be overridden except in emergencies. A low male voice muttered annoyed curses, and then the outer door was opening.

The moment it was wide enough to fit me, I made my move, surging around the corner and throwing a quick punch at his throat. I _meant_ to stun and choke him, to stop him from warning his partner before I could get into the lab proper.

Instead... I felt his body break as my hand smashed into his wind pipe, young, blue eyes widening as naked terror beneath goggles as he reeled backwards, hands clawing at his throat while his body tried and failed to get any oxygen to its lungs. I stared back at him in shock, stumbling as my plan went out the window. I'd always had impeccable control of my own body, and there was no way that I'd used that much strength.

The moment passed as Harried whipped around as he heard the other man hit the ground, and I surged forwards on reflex as he tried to start up his omni-tool.

Even that action was... _wrong._

I'd always been fast, but I covered the distance between us before he could even get through the quick gesture to bring the device online. Grabbing his wrist definitely broke something from his yowl and the sound of bones cracking. Grimacing, I ripped his omni-tool off... breaking the wrist straps in the process, and I was then exceedingly careful in how I held my little knife against his throat.

"What." I growled. "Did you fucking do to me!?"

Harried, his breath coming in pained gasps as he tried to lean away from my blade, "We... we... saved you!"

"Bullshit. I fucking woke up in a _storage closet,_ can't control my own strength, and I feel... _wrong."_ Lips pulled back from my teeth as I pushed the tip of the ceramic knife into his suit, cutting it very slightly. "I want answers. Who are you?"

"Doctor... Doctor Wilson." He swallowed, "I... I helped preserve your brain while they worked on you."

I could only stare at him. "What."

Words tumbled out, "You were dead, frozen. We had to preserve your brain in stasis to maintain your... well, consciousness and memories while they rebuilt your body. There was... a lot of work to do, you have to re-adjust to the strength of your cybernetics."

My throat worked as I swallowed. I'd been dead on the operating table before, but this sounded more severe than the few minutes I'd been out after Saren had nearly gutted me. "How long? Hours? Days?"

He winced. "Eleven months."

Eleven... "That's... that's... not possible."

"It is when money's no object." He replied, seeming to regain some level of confidence, his voice almost cocky and excited. "Cutting edge technology, unlimited budget, and the best human minds available. All directed to bring you back just as you were. We almost lost you more than once, but we did it! Look at you!"

I'd been... dead for... I'd been _dead._... and now I was... what? A clone? Undead? Actually alive? "How... how much of me is..?"

"Does it matter?" Wilson shook his head. "We _beat death!_ And you're upright, talking, reasoning! Hell, I'd have been thrilled if you were a drooling moron, but this is-"

A soft scuffing noise was my only warning, and I hurled myself to the right a moment before a vibro-sword hummed through the space I'd just occupied and buried itself in Wilson's gut. The doctor had time to let out a gasp of pain before the blade slide free, then whipped in a quick arc and took his head off with no effort at all.

The gratuitous decapitation gave me the moment I needed to see a mark on the newcomer's chest, then arrest my motion and reverse it, hitting the attacker in a flying tackle. He was a small, slim built Asiatic man, in a grey and white bodysuit, and with my cyber-zombie strength I expected to bowl him over easily. Instead he merely grunted and fell down to a knee, growling low in his throat... at least, until my little kitchen knife embedded itself into it.

Blazing orange eyes widened as I yanked it free and then stabbed again, bearing him down to the ground as blood began to spurt and flow down over the both of us. Gasping, I forced a shaking hand to grab his sword, pulling back as I stared at the blood covered logo on his chest.

Cerberus.

Cerberus...

They had...

They had _had_ me... had turned me into...

Oh god.

I swallowed and closed my eyes against the panic, against the rapid beating of a heart that might not have been mine. Might not have even been real.

 _Kaya._ The stern voice of David Anderson echoed in my thoughts, as if he was standing before me. _You are the Lionness of Elysium, the greatest soldier that I have ever trained, and the closest thing I have to a daughter. Now snap out of it and get to work, marines don't fall apart until we're five drinks in._

Right...right... I had to focus, whatever had happened to me could wait until after I'd gotten away from these terrorist psychopaths and back to the Alliance. I had to know where I was, who was apparently attacking Cerberus, and how to get out of here.

Grabbing Wilson's omni-tool from the floor, I felt myself relax a little as the default gesture brought it online without an extra password. Shifting it to my free hand, I padded my bare feet through the blood covering the floor and risked a quick glance into the hallway. Seeing no one, I backed up and... well, wiped my feet off on Panicked's body so I wouldn't leave bloody footprints behind me as I got moving again.

The station shuddered around me as I stepped back out into the hallway, and I grimaced as I back-tracked, ducking into the room marked as Conference Two. Shutting the door behind me, I put my new sword onto the table and then opened up the omni-tool again.

"Map... map... huzzah." I muttered to myself as I searched, grateful for the devices' stock operating system as I quickly found what I was looking for. "Cronos Station... Cute."

Another shudder interrupted my search for the nearest hangar or escape pods, a woman's breathy voice coming from an unseen speaker. " _Boarders on levels four, five, and six! All Centurion teams report to assigned zones! Repeat, boarders on levels four, five, and six! All non-combat personnel to escape positions!"_

A quick search to find where the hell I was made me grimace as I realized that I was on level five. Normally I'd be all-in on supporting anyone attacking Cerberus, but considering that I was naked with only a sword for a weapon, I wasn't really eager to jump into the fray. Tracing my little map, I exhaled as I found the nearest hangar bay. Even better, there was a row of escape pods near it, though one level down.

Either way, that seemed like my best target.

Closing the tool down, I kept it in hand as I picked up the sword again. It was a single-edged model, and well balanced as I picked it up again. I was a middling fencer at best, and this thing was more suited to kendo, but it was better than the little knife that I'd left in the operative's throat. Balancing the weapon on my right shoulder, I inhaled sharply, then got my bare ass moving.

My back tightened after about five steps into the hallway as I heard the song of battle starting up somewhere in the distance. Low thuds and cracks, accompanied by more rapid staccato beats, an occasional high pitched sound that always seemed to cut off quickly.

I evidently had less time than I thought.

Sprinting down the hall to next hatchway, I opened it cautiously, checking both directions before nodding and following the new hallway to my left. The sounds of battle grew louder as I moved, but not so much as to warn me that I was in immediate danger. Moving past more conference and storage rooms, I slowed up a bit as I neared another glass hatchway.

I expected another decontamination room and lab, and found the former, but instead of the latter there was... I jerked back from the sight of a young man in a white and black uniform as he sprinted down another hallway, firing a gun blindly behind him as he moved. I wasn't fast enough, and in short order I heard a pounding on the glass.

Blinking, I risked a quick look around the corner. He'd fumbled his gun and was frantically working a physical key-card through a slot as best as his shaking hands were letting him.

"Shepard!" His eyes, entirely white around blue, locked onto mine as he fought with the controls, dropping his card in favor of desperately clawing at the glass. "Please! Oh god, I don't want to die! You have to save me! I helped! I helped save... no! NO!"

He whipped around, hearing something that I couldn't, and then tried to duck to his left. Blood abruptly fountained out from his throat, his body collapsing as his hands rose to try and staunch the flow. It was pointless, I could tell that even with a single glance. Both of his arteries were open, he'd be dead in a matter of seconds.

More important was the shimmering figure appearing above him, the camouflage system failing as blood disrupted the system.

A Quarian woman stepped over the twitching body, paying the dying young man about as much attention as I would a piece of trash on the ground. Her lean body was covered in a black suit, upon which form fitting armor plates were colored a blue only a shade lighter and edged in a crisp silver. An armored trench coat of similar coloration kicked around her ankles as she moved, making her lithe form seem far more imposing. Her mask was as armored as the rest of her, lacking both the traditional __reik__ and the life support cables, with only a narrow slit making her glowing eyes visible. Both of them were locked onto me as a hand negligently sheathed the mono-molecular dagger she'd just used to execute her prey.

Her necklace was more filled than I remembered, to the point where she'd added a second as a belt around her waist. Both were festooned with shards of Krogan crests, Turian claws, what looked like polished Batarian teeth, and... dog tags.

I remembered the bitch even without seeing the logos on her coat.

Voya'chi vas Xentha. Trophy Taker. Assassin. Mercenary. And considering that she was armed and armored, she was not someone I wanted to be in the same solar system with when I was naked and equipped with a sword I barely knew how to use.

I took off at a dead sprint, hearing my name being shouted following by a string of Khellish, but Wilson's omni-tool evidently wasn't setup to translate the Quarian language, meaning it just sounded like a rolling series of curses. Which, in all truth, it probably was.

I didn't have long. If she was a tenth of the hacker that Tali was she'd have the door open in moments, less if there wasn't any more security than the keycard, and then things could get dicey. Especially since it seemed like a safe assumption that the gunfire still echoing through the station was a result of her allies raiding the place. The Silver Blades might have been sometime allies and a source of information, but there certainly wasn't any love lost between us, and if they wanted me...

No... _They_ didn't want me.

Kean was as fond of me as I was of him, and if he was here it was because someone was paying or threatening him into it. Which... probably meant that a Warlord was behind him, and I couldn't imagine that I'd want to find out just what Aria or one of her ilk intended to do with me. Dammit, I needed to be able to defend myself when I told them to fuck off.

Tearing off down the hall, I slammed a palm against the next hatchway's controls and all but leaped through it. The muted sound of battle abruptly became a barrage as I staggered onto a catwalk above the shuttle bay I'd hoped would give me a ride out of here.

"What the fucking..." The words came unbidden as my legs stopped moving, my eyes too busy trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

Figures in deep navy and silver were working alongside figures in black and orange, the mixed forced currently engaged in furious combat with figures in white. The latter group was very much on the defensive, fighting to hold onto a pair of shuttles whose engines where flaring to life even as I watched.

The weird thing was that the figures in black _also_ had Cerberus logos, though theirs were entirely orange.

More unintelligible cursing from behind made me snap around in time to see Chi emerging from the decontamination room, her own head whipping around to lock onto me once again.

Pain distantly echoed up from my bare feet as my legs blurred back into motion, hitting the floor as I sprinted for the nearest stairwell. If my options were her or the fighting down below, I'd take my chances with the fighting. I had no idea what my two _least_ favorite organizations in the galaxy were doing fighting over me of all people, or what one of them had done to me, but I was equally sure that I didn't want to stick around and find out.

Flying down the stairs, I felt the extra vibrations from my pursuer, but easily kept ahead of her until I reached the bottom and made for the nearest doorway.

It opened to reveal a Cerberus soldier in heavy armor, his own body moving in a run as he made to join the fight. His weapon was already up, and he fired in panicked reflex as I bore down on him, going for a lunging thrust at his stomach. His round hit my sword arm before I could get close, pain making me drop the thing as I snarled in agony, my fingers dropping the weapon even as I insisted they keep their grip.

There was a low curse from the man, but no hesitation as he corrected his aim towards my heart. I was futilely dodging to the left when something slammed hard into my left knee, driving me down as a heavy pistol barked over my skull, rounds flying back and forth at point blank range. The Cerberus trooper got the worse of it, a gleaming blue shot blowing out his visor, while Chi let out another furious tirade as rounds hammered into her armored chest.

I tried to get up to my feet, then froze when an Acolyte was shoved against my temple. "Shepard. _Hersi'colad tuk!? Cussari messha'to bosh'tet!"_

I glared at her, once again finding myself a little creeped out by just how _girly_ her voice was. Psychopathic assassins weren't supposed to sound like that. "No translator."

" _Vekka keshin."_ Her head shook, her left hand flicking to spin her omni-tool up. When she spoke again, her voice echoed from its speakers in addition to from her helmet. " _Chekka?_ Understand?"

"Yes."

" _Kol._ Good. Stay fucking down, T'Soni is already throwing a fit over what happened at Lazarus." She pulled her gun back, "Cie? I found her, level four hangar! She's hit... no, not badly... what do you mean? _Keelah,_ could this be anymore of a mess? No, don't fucking answer that. I'm getting her to a shuttle."

I blinked, too lost to take advantage of the fact that she'd withdrawn a couple of steps. "...Liara hired you?"

The Quarian snorted, taking a single step back while her free hand pulled at something at her belt. "No. Lawson hired us to help her seize control of Cerberus. You're just collateral. Here."

I awkwardly caught the medigel packet with my good hand, then found myself glowering at her as she emphatically pointed a finger back towards the hangar. "I'm not going anywhere without answers."

Chi's glowing eyes narrowed to slits. "We're going to be blowing this station the moment our people are off of it, and we've already taken or destroyed Cerberus' shuttles. You want to get killed again?"

Fighting the urge to crush the packet in my hand, I glared right back at her. "Are you taking me to Liara, or giving me back to Cerberus?"

"Both." She replied, lifting her gun back up and pointing it at my right eye even as she flicked her omni-tool off. " _K'Breki tor, kusari."_

Flicking my eyes up and down, I checked the distance between us, how tense her posture was... and cursed silently as I realized that she would be more than happy to put a bullet in my head and say that I'd attacked her. And there was the very small chance that she wasn't bullshitting me about Liara, in which case I might have at least one ally around. Two, if Jacqueline had decided to return to her old crew after I'd died.

Not the best odds... but I'd gambled on worse. And I wouldn't be able to gamble at all if I was dead... again.

Letting out a slow breath, and relaxing the fake muscles inside the body I was wearing, I twitched my chin in something like a nod. Chi merely twitched her gun slightly in reply, and I got my bare ass moving back the way we'd come.

Using my teeth to tear open the medigel packet, I glanced at my wound, only peripherally aware that the pain had already ceased. The blood that came out of me was at least still red, but the rest of the injury... wasn't exactly normal. There was some kind of glowing mesh directly beneath my skin, and the bleeding had already largely stopped. Worryingly, one of the three impacts looked as if it had had my ulna directly... and hadn't actually done anything beyond more than make it ache a bit. There wasn't an exit wound on the other side, and the bone itself didn't seem to be broken.

At least the medigel stung and then felt cold as it always had, and seemed to bind as readily as ever to whatever I was made of now.

"I don't suppose you know what they did to me?" I asked as I tossed the empty packet aside, stepping back into the hangar and noting that the gunfire had slowed heavily. A quick glance around as we entered revealed Blades and black-clad Cerberus soldiers holding the various hatchways, firing measured shots to keep targets away rather than the heavier fire of an active defense. "And who the fuck is Lawson?"

My Quarian captor merely twitched a shoulder, not bothering to activate a translator for us again. Thankfully a new, far more welcome voice answered, "A fucking cheer-leading bitch is what she is... Voya, why the fuck is she naked?"

Jacqueline Nought was clad in in a similar set of dark blue and silver armor, though where Chi's coat bore the image of a charging lancer, Jack's had the outline of a nude Asari hurling a harpoon. She'd removed her helmet, revealing familiar features, though she'd let her hair grow out rather than the shaved stubble she'd maintained during her time on my ship.

"Hey Jacqueline." I tried for casual, but didn't think I'd managed it. "Can I borrow your coat?"

The smaller woman snorted, shucking it in one motion before ripping some kind of cable free. I caught it when she tossed it to me, blinking in surprise at the weight before cautiously pulling it on and starting to button it.

Jack watched me, her brown eyes full of an emotion I couldn't place before she shook her head. "Figure you've got a million questions, come on, got a spot on a shuttle for you."

I nodded, noting Chi moving away, the petite woman shouting orders to the soldiers around us. "Is Liara actually with you?"

"Sort of." Her pale face fell into a grimace as she waved me towards a nearby shuttle. "Didn't have time for her to come with, shit's been kind of a mess so she's meeting us on Omega."

Bare feet stopped moving. "Omega?"

There was something apologetic in her voice when she replied, "Yeah... Omega."

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Location:_ Bridge of the _SBS Reliant,_ near Cronos Station, Horsehead Nebula, Attican Traverse

* * *

I pinched the bridge of my nose and fought the urge to curse. "What the fuck did you do Frankenstein?"

"I didn't do anything." Lawson rasped in reply, her expression annoyed. "Creating a fake copy to string along like a marionette was Brooks' concept. A scan will determine which is the actual Shepard, her reconstruction was total rather than partial."

"You mean I can't just ask..." I arrested my own thoughts before I could finish the idiotic statement, "...of course I can't. Hypnotics? Drugs?"

Miranda Lawson winced slightly, settling back into the hover-chair that she was strapped into. Doctor Itherius hadn't even wanted to allow that much, but the proud woman had bluntly reminded us that we needed her awake for this part. Kelly had never actually been to Cronos, nor had she really ever dealt with Brooks. As a result, the wan operative had been carefully pushed up to the bridge to help plan out our attack on Harper's home.

Of course, said attack had gone far more smoothly than the naval battle that had preceded it... mostly because next to nobody was home on the station. Harper had evidently bailed along with his personal staff and soldiers long before we'd even arrived, not willing to gamble everything on Petrovsky defeating us. As a result, we'd only had to deal with the crew of the _Surabaya,_ the battered cruiser docked within the station and having not been in any shape to join the battle.

Kelly rested a hand on Miranda's chair, steadying it slightly as she spoke. "Two of Matriarch T'Ravt's acolytes did something to her mind to make her... more pliant to the conditioning, to help make her believe she actually is Shepard. We didn't know about that until after it happened, unfortunately."

I felt the slow, rolling tide of anger rise a bit more, even though I'd more or less expected the news. "Athame's ass... and this was Brooks' idea? Do we need her alive?"

Miranda's pale lips curled a little. "Not particularly. She is Cerberus's best undercover agent, but she is also an extreme human supremacist. Eliminating her was always part of the plan."

"Good." I replied, turning to look at the bridge's front screen. The battered form of Cronos station hung illuminated by the gas giant behind it, icons showing the remaining elements of our fleet forming a perimeter around it as shuttles began to return. The shuttles were a bit of a problem, given our losses... we no longer had room for most of them, especially since the _Reliant_ 's hangars had been trashed. One of them was still working, which was how Voya had managed to sneak herself aboard Cronos to work off some emotion, but it wasn't enough to let our full complement of troops back on board. As a result, most of our marine force was actually hitching a ride back to Omega aboard the Eclipse's carrier.

I contemplated the problem of Harper as I stared at nothing, evaluating what had happened. Brooks' evident plan had been to give us the fake Shepard while keeping the real one, fleeing aboard a small ship that had been prepped in Harper's personal, hidden hangar. I'd give her credit for her acting, she'd vociferously claimed that she had not authorized the station to shoot at us, or to bring its shields online, that her subordinates had done that against her express orders.

Since she'd badly needed to buy more time to get her little plan setup, I hadn't believed her, neither had Chambers or Lawson... and Lawson had known about the Illusive Man's private hangar and just what armor plates could be blown up to reach it. Terro's team had breached the room and secured the pinnace within before Brooks could arrive, and so far as I knew the woman was still stuck on the station along with whatever survivors remained.

"He let us have Shepard." I pursed my lips as I turned it over in my head. "He knows that the Broker and I will stop hunting him now that we have her, that leaves him with just Severa and the Alliance to worry about... and the latter probably has political crap already building up thanks to the Turian Spectres stomping all over their crap."

"More or less." Kelly murmured tiredly. "The Spectre program has never been popular in the Alliance, even the most pro-Citadel humans frown on aliens who have carte blanche to do whatever they want in our space, up to and including killing anyone in their way."

I grunted. "If we assume the Council is going to pull her back sooner rather than later, what do you think he'll do?"

Green eyes narrowed in thought. "He's a gambler by nature... but he endeavors to not make the same mistakes twice. He'll relocate to where your forces can be used against him, and where even the Council's ability will be limited."

Lawson's nose scrunched up slightly, "The Caspian Rim, most likely. Largely unexplored, claimed by both Irune and Earth, and the exploitation rights are stuck in Council committees as a result. Those corporations that do have exploratory contracts are all Human concerns."

"He owns them," I asked for clarification, "Or just influences them?"

"The latter, I believe." She grimaced. "He always kept his personal team's actions very quiet, and entirely off of our own books. Imperial Cell was an enigma to even EDI and EVA, but it was believed to be a financial cell much like Carthage. I wouldn't be surprised if he had at least a few members on the board of the companies in question."

My chest swelled, then contracted as I let out an irritable breath. "He's going to vanish and restart then. Less money, less forces, but still dangerous."

"Quite." Lawson admitted. "I anticipated that he would likely survive my coup, but I had hoped to eliminate as much of his support as possible. As it is... he'll have all of Isis Cell, along with the survivors from Phantom. Overt military action will no longer be possible, but he was never a real believer in that to begin with. Ajax was always Petrovsky's personal project, something Harper allowed him due to their friendship."

"Phantom will be an issue... what about Isis?" I asked, reaching up to rub at my chin.

A shrug. "They're a research cell, medical, genetic, cybernetic... anything involving improving base-line humanity they worked on. I didn't consider them a priority as they mostly focused on humane projects. Helping Alliance veterans recover, trying to heal L2 biotics, that kind of thing."

I hummed quietly, considering that. "Odds that he tries more shit with Reaper or Levi tech? Can't imagine that he'll just give up on that."

She bit her lip, frowning. "I don't know. I hoped that my manifesto might inspire some level of self-realization, but he can be very stubborn."

Kelly snorted. "That's a polite understatement Miranda. Call it fifty-fifty; if he thinks that he has the time to conduct more research, he will. If he doesn't... who knows. I don't think he'll counter Shepard's actions directly, part of the goal of bringing her back was to ensure that a human led the resistance, but... well, we and you are easier targets."

"Yeah." My hand rose up to my forehead as I sighed. "We've got some plans to prep for that kind of thing, and I'm guessing Leng will be after us both with whatever shit he's allowed to mess with."

"L-Likely." Miranda agreed, trying and failing to cover a wince of pain as she spoke. "Which is why we should discuss our plans moving forwards."

"Yeah... no." I flicked my eyes to Kelly, "Get Frankenstein's crippled ass back down to medical, we can discuss everything else when we get back to Omega. Preferably when you can stand up without using your biotics to cheat."

The wounded woman glowered at me, then grimaced again as Kelly abruptly spun her away and started pushing her towards the exit. "No complaining, even legendary monsters need rest."

Lawson muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ' _I hate you both_ ' as she was taken away, but from the fact that she didn't actively complain told me volumes about how much pain she was in. Athame's ass, I'd helped the woman stitch her own guts back together without fucking anesthetic on Benihi... and I doubted the prior experience had done anything to numb her to the pain of having it happen a second time.

I watched the two Cerberus operatives depart, then turned around and walked to stand beside Joa's command seat. The Asari glanced up at me from the report she was reading, grunted, then returned her gaze to it.

"Last shuttles are pulling away now, we're prepping to begin the bombardment."

"Good." I replied quietly. "Can you leave that to Civ? I'd rather not run over the cost here."

Joa exhaled softly, "Yeah, but first we have to decide on how we're getting back home."

I nodded. "How long?"

Purple-blue lips pursed. "Our engines are still intact, so we can make it back in ten hours, but the light ships need a discharge... but we can't exactly leave all of this salvage alone either. I thought we could take the _Reliant_ and a few others back and leave Idia in command here. Nearest secure buoy is at Nagato. I thought we could head there and then bounce a signal to Omega. We could head to the station after we discharge and drop off our seriously wounded... call it three days."

Three days with Shepard and... another Shepard on board. I found myself rubbing at my temples as I fought the urge to groan. I hadn't wanted anything to do with the savior of the galaxy the first few times I'd met her, and I wanted even _less_ to do with her now that all this crap was going down.

Lawson, I believed, still wanted to bring the real Shepard around to work with her in improving Cerberus's name... or at least, her 'new' Cerberus's name. How exactly she was going to do that was largely unknown to me, especially with the SR-2 crippled and needing a lot of work before she could be properly used as a warship.

Further, there was Liara to consider. I had no fucking idea what T'Soni's long term goals even were beyond waiting for Shepard to be resurrected. Now that she was, it was largely a mystery as to what course of action the Asari would recommend and support.

Lastly, there was the 'orders' I had been given by Aria. As far as she was concerned, I was responsible for dealing with the Collector threat and eliminating them as an issue while she and a few of the other major warlords helped the Quarians finish off the Geth. At the very least I was stuck working with Lawson and her new Cerberus, as the only other group really planning on fighting the bugs.

Of course, how the fuck we were going to do that considering our losses I had no goddess-damned idea.

"You've got that, 'I hate how fucking complicated shit is' expression going again." Joa broke my thoughts with a murmur. "What is this time?"

"What the fuck Shepard is going to do." I exhaled. "And what the fuck we're going to do with the _other_ Shepard. And how we're going to recover. And your bloody family. Athame's fucking azure, your sister is probably exploding with irritation right now. She's going to steal or buy the first ship she can and head to Nagato."

She blinked, "You're going to tell her we're headed there?"

"I'm not suicidal." I replied dryly. "She'd find out and kill us both for delaying her."

She snorted. "True. Do have some good news for you, the... copy, or whatever the fuck she is, is still unconscious in her little tube. We can keep her under until someone decides what to do with her."

I felt myself relax a little. "Good... set it up in one of the cargo bays with whatever support equipment it needs. Make sure someone goes over it though, if it's pumping more hypnotic shit into her brain we've got to turn that off."

"Will do." A finger rapidly tapped out a note on her tablet. "Right, orders are in the system. With your permission, I want to tell Jun to get her task force to Nagato the second the SR-2 is secure at our docks."

"Sensible." I replied, "Once we leave Nagato, let's shift them here to make sure we keep control of the battlefield."

She nodded sharply, adding another note before forwarding the message to communications to be sent out. "Right, let me brief Civ and we can retire."

Nodding, I politely stepped back as she called her XO over, the pair of them speaking quickly as she gave him his orders. The taciturn Turian bowed as she finished, settling into the command chair once she'd cleared out of his way.

The pair of us departed the bridge after that, making for my nearby quarters. We didn't start speaking until I'd poured us both a drink, my alcohol having surprisingly survived the engagement, and settled at the small chairs near my desk.

"Right." Joa sighed, sipping from her rum. "While you were supervising that shit and getting furious over the fact that Voya took our reserve marines over there, I surveyed the blood tide as best we could. You want to start with my boat or everything else?"

" _Reliant_ first."

She nodded, closing her eyes. "Long story short, we're lucky to be fucking alive. Batarian over-armoring is the only thing that kept us intact through that storm, and we're still barely holding together. Illyan and ul Fera are still checking everything out with the other engineers, but we need a yard. Badly."

The numbers came next. The ship's heavy dorsal turret, along with seven of her eight medium turrets were all basically scrap metal, as were two of her four GARDIAN arrays. Our port side spinal gun was intact, by the starboard tube had been breached, and even if we'd had any missiles left we couldn't fire them out of the wreckage that was our launch battery. For more bad news, we'd lost more than half of the main heat shunts, so even if we were capable of going into battle we wouldn't be able to accomplish much of anything before our systems overheated.

Thirty-three dead, eighty-seven wounded meant that crew losses were... moderate, concentrated amongst the men and women who'd manned the secondary guns or had been in the hangar bay when it had been blown apart.

"Repair time?" I asked when she'd finished.

"Months." She replied bluntly. "If you still want me as Exec Commander of the fleet, I'll have to shift my flag to the _Headsman_ or the _Shokari._ "

"Of course I do." I shook my head at the very idea of dismissing her, and sighed as I evaluated the decision. "Take the _Shokari_ , Jun can handle her ship well enough, I'd rather you look over Idia's shoulder."

There was a slight nod. "Right... ready for everything else?"

"No." Taking my glass, I downed all of the rum in a single long pull, coughed heavily as I finished... and then poured myself some more. "Hit me."

"Total losses first." Her chest swelled a little as she took a deep inhalation. "Besides the _Shokari,_ we've got eight frigates and one corvette that can be considered battle ready, but all of them are out of missiles and torpedoes."

I didn't bother to hid my wince. We' come into the fight with twenty eight of the thirty two warships in our fleet... and only ten were still intact. "How many can we take back to Nagato with us?"

"A few." Another long breath preceded a measured sip of rum, "The _Nerrati_ and _Jagged_ can limp along with us, provided we don't push the pace, so can the _Mist._ Everyone else though... I'd rather they stayed here and waited for us to send supplies, most of them aren't in very good shpae."

More numbers came in. Of our four destroyers, only the _Nerrati_ and the _Jagged Blade_ would ever fight again. The _Helladin_ had come apart before anyone could even make it to the escape pods, and the _Ehsadin_ was so badly damaged that pulling her apart for salvage would probably be more economical than saving her.

Of the seven frigates that we had lost, four were total, and another was probably also due for to have her hulk torn apart for whatever systems were sort-of intact. Our tiny little corvettes hadn't fared much better; two of them _might_ be repairable, but the others... well, a few people had managed to get off of them, but only a few.

About the only sort-of good news on our end was that Captain Cal ul Herr had managed, somehow, to get the _Cusho_ under control and patch her crippled systems together. The light cruiser had lost nearly half of her crew, more wounded than dead thank the goddess, but she was repairable and could slowly move about under her own power.

"Preliminary crew losses..." She sighed, "Two hundred and eighty-nine dead, including ten of our captains. Close to five hundred wounded, a lot of them seriously. We'll be paying a lot of death bonuses to families and letting more than a few people retire with pensions."

"Can't be helped." I took a small sip of my rum, resisting the urge to down it and pretend this shit hadn't happened. Fuck Petrovsky, I hoped that son of a bitch was drowning, held in the depths beneath Athame's heel. "We'll setup a memorial wall for the dead, something simpler than the Lancer hall but... something to let the families see. You'll need to pick out crew for recognition as well."

"Not today." Joa shook her head, tapping a finger on her glass. "I will, just not... shit. My second major fleet engagement and I lose most of my goddess-damned ships."

I grimaced. "We went up against someone with twice as many cruisers as us in a situation where we had to hand him the initiative."

A purple hand waved. "I know we fucking won, and I don't think I handled our shit badly. Not playing the what-if game, more just... shit. Fucking asshole _knew_ we would kill him, that the best he could fucking do was hurt us... and he still fucking came on. He could have just bloody _left_ and we wouldn't have bothered going after him."

This time I did take a longer pull from my drink. "Instead he killed a whole lot of people for absolutely fucking no change... fuck if I know why he did it."

"Honor and duty..." She muttered the words almost sullenly before throwing back the rest of her rum. "We should have taken him alive and branded those words across every centimeter of his skin."

I snorted softly. "He'd have self-destructed his ship before we could."

"Stop ruining my fantasy by shoving reality into it." Joa growled, reaching out to flick a finger at me. A tiny spark of biotic power hit my nose, making me shake my head irritably. "Asshole. Point is... morale isn't going to be great after this one. People are still going to be pissed and how pointless this was, but we won't have an easy target to let them vent."

My hands spread apart as I sighed, my head tilting to show annoyance. "I know, Joa, I know. What the fuck do we do about it? I can't let you all go off raiding, and what's left of Cerberus is going to be long gone."

"Have to do something." She replied. "The memorial idea is good, fits with the pseudo-national crap that Ayle and Ven are pushing so bloody much, but it won't distract everyone for long."

I mulled over that, trying to think of something. "We've got a large war chest from Lawson, and more due in from Severa. Supposed an extended leave for the crew is more than overdue."

She winced. "You want to let them all get drunk?"

"No, but I'm not coming up with a better idea." I sighed, "If you're worried about anti-human crap, we can restrict the leave to Nagato and New Canton. The latter actually let a few Batarians start an enclave since we took on our contract, and the former's got plenty of Turians."

Joa cocked her head a little, showing polite intrigue. "And the population bloody loves us, and aren't fans of Cerberus... especially on Nagato. Plus it'll keep our ships around planets we're supposed to protect anyway."

"Exactly." I nodded, warming to the idea a bit. "Its not like we need them around Omega, and we don't have any real use for our regimental transports right now. We get our damaged ships back to the station to be repaired, and use those to ferry them to the colonies for long-term leave. At least four weeks per crew."

There was a quiet grunt, "That could work... surrounds them with people who will be happy as fuck for what we did here, lets them relax, drink, get laid with your ground troops nearby to keep them in line if they get rowdy... and it'll buy me some time to figure out how the fuck to repair everything."

I nodded again, then frowned, "Right, that reminds me. Salvage, what do you think we can grab from the Cerberus ships?"

One of her hands rose as she snorted, "If we can get one of those cruisers I'll be happy, but I'm not promising shit on that until we've had time to go over the wrecks."

"Fair point." I smiled a little, feeling the rum starting to kick in as I settled back into my chair. It didn't make the facts go away, but it made them easier to push aside for now. "We'll need to come up with a new plan to fight the Collectors, but that crap's going to have to wait until I can sit down with Ajin, Veik, and Lawson... maybe Shepard depending on what decision she makes."

Her nose scrunched a little. "That's going to be a fun conversation. Two Batarian warlords, a human supremacist, and an undead Spectre.. it's like a shit joke where no one knows the punch line."

I grimaced, "The punch line is going to be someone's going to get shot if they don't fucking behave. We'll probably be in a holding pattern until Freedom's Progress gets hit regardless, I'm not inclined to save those racist assholes, so our main plan will probably be to intervene at Horizon."

There was a soft clicking noise as her tongue hit the roof of her mouth. "That's... not going to be fun. Those Batarians handled the Geth but they got roughed up doing it, and we still don't have any combat data on the Collectors... and the goddess knows how many ships we'll have ready."

I glanced down at her, "You think Aria would accept that?"

She winced. "No... shit. Why aren't we working for Sederis? Or even fucking T'Ravt again?"

"Because Aria needed someone to deal with the Collectors, and Nyreen convinced her I was more useful alive than dead." I rubbed a hand against my face, "And because she didn't want the Eclipse finally having an in-road to the Batarian population, or T'Ravt having even more influence there."

Joa pursed her lips, "She's going to flip out when Ayle takes over, you know she's already planning on moving the corporate headquarters to Xentha right? And I bet you're going home to Illium the heartbeat that you can."

"Yes, yes, and yes." I sighed. "Joa... we've got enough immediate problems, stop trying to fucking add worrying about the future. You know I hate that shit."

The Asari snickered softly, "Yeah, and you know I think you're attractive when you're furious."

I could only sigh. "You know Voya is going to cut every tendon you have if she hears you say that, right?"

She snorted, "Bitch can try, I bedded you before she did... and speaking of that psychopath, what are you going to do with her this time?"

My grimace worsened, "None of your goddess damned business, that's for sure. Now go find your own rum, and find an orderly to get Shepard a room."

"Yes _sir."_

"Don't fucking start _that_ shit either."

* * *

 **End Operation I: Unleashed Wolves**

 _And here we are, at the end of the first Operation. Bit of good news, bit of bad news, and things remain complicated as ever for everyone. We'll have a couple of interludes up next, covering the trip and arrival to Nagato, and then their arrival at Omega. Expect most chapters to be around this length moving forwards, with one Cieran section and one someone-else section. Shepard will be initially over-represented to help establish her, then we'll see more than a few others._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat

* * *

 _ ** **Review Responses:****_


	8. Interlude I: Active Afterlife

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude I: Active Afterlife**

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _Date:_ 08-06-2186

 _Location: SBS Reliant,_ travelling faster than light, Attican Traverse

* * *

I didn't even know how to begin processing all of this.

Jacqueline had brought me to a small cabin near the heart of the ship, helping me with the Batarian systems so that I could reset the room's locks. Then she'd headed out to find the woman who'd apparently rebuilt me, promising to be back with both 'the cheer-leading bitch' and 'enough booze to let you get through this shit'.

The cabin I'd been given had evidently belonged to a Turian, which meant that there _still_ wasn't any clothes around that would fit me, and I had a hammock instead of a bunk. I'd had to mostly unbutton Jack's coat so that I could breathe properly, and I was getting equally sick of walking around barefoot. The room did at least have a tiny lavatory, which let me get the blood off of my skin and relieve myself.

Thankfully everything down there seemed to be intact, and part of me was almost absurdly relieved that I still had to piss like a normal person. I spent the rest of the time until Jack returned just... staring at my own reflection, trying to process everything.

They'd apparently replaced my eyes, my deep blue irises were similar... but up close I could see flecks of dimly glowing orange, reflecting the same color I'd seen in the shit under my skin. My face was as pale as the rest of me, and I no longer had the jagged Reds' Murderess Scar across my face... which annoyed me almost irrationally. As much as I'd hated the electrical burn that had run across my left cheek and nose, it had always been a reminder of where I'd come from, and what I had to be better than... a reminder of the girl that I'd failed.

At least they'd had the sense to keep my fake-hair fairly short.

I was picking at said hair, wondering if the strands would actually grow, when there was a knock at the door. Departing the bathroom, I opened it to find Jack holding a dark bottle and a small bag, but without anyone else with her.

"Sorry Shep." She grimaced as I stepped back to let her in, "Doc working on Lawson again, apparently she almost tore her guts open or some shit. The Cerberus shrink with her wanted to come up but I told her to fuck off, didn't think you wanted to deal that kind of crap."

That drew a tiny snort, "Thanks. What's in the bag?"

"Clothes, figured you're tired of running around commando." I caught the bag as she tossed it to me. "Should fit you. Got an omni-tool in there too, so you don't have to rely on me to translate crap."

"Thanks." I opened the bag, more than a little relieved at her thoughtfulness. Sure enough there was a drab collection of gray clothes inside, complete with boots, underwear, and an older model omni-tool. "Give me a minute?"

She was already collapsing into one of the room's two chairs, working at the top of the booze, so I ducked back into the bathroom without another word. The underclothes fit well enough, as did the pants, though the shirt was a bit too large. Wrapping the omni-tool around my left wrist, I grabbed Jack's coat and then returned to the bedroom.

Throwing the heavy leather at her, I ignored her irritated exclamation in favor of starting up the tool, my fake eyes focused on the date and time.

"August... of Eighty-Six." I muttered as I shut the stupid thing off. Not eleven months then, like that asshole had told me. _Eighteen_ months.

Jacqueline winced as she pulled her coat off of her head, setting it on the ground while her other hand silently pushed a glass across the table in front of her. I took it without a word and threw it back, barely tasting the smooth whiskey. She took it back while I coughed, refilling it from the bottle and handing it right back to me.

The second time I forced myself to merely sip from it, exhaling raggedly as I did. "A year and a fucking half... I really was...?"

"Dead?" She grimaced. "Yeah. We had your funeral and everything, right before we all split apart."

I collapsed into the chair opposite of her, took another small measure of the amber liquid into my mouth, and then sighed. "Right... who... killed me?"

Another grimace. "Best we can tell it was the Collectors, they're in with the Reapers or some shit, up to all kinds of crap. Last year and half's been... not rough but definitely not fucking great."

The Collectors? A goddamned myth had shown up to kill me? Why? "Hit me."

She did, in her usual half-profane style, starting with the general state of the galaxy. The complete lack of preparations for the Reapers was as disappointing as it was unsurprising, and evidently the Batarians had finally finished up their civil war. In better news, Terra Firma had lost last year's election in the Alliance, and Earth was at least making a few defensive preparations and tightening our alliance with the Hierarchy.

Unfortunately that was about the extent of her knowledge in that area; she wasn't terribly well read into the galaxy beyond the darker regions. The information she knew about the Terminus was about as mixed, though she could at least give me a few more details. Weirdly, the various Warlords had apparently allied with the Migrant Fleet to try and finish off the Geth and take Rannoch back for the latter. I didn't even want to imagine what Tali's people had had to give up to secure that alliance, or how desperate they had probably been.

Further, Kean and a pair of Batarian warlords had apparently been tasked with dealing with the Collectors in the wake of their attack on me. They'd shown up more and more often in the last couple of months, apparently attacking human colonies in the Traverse along with the Geth. Aria might have been a tyrannical criminal bitch but she wasn't stupid, and the usual rumor was that the Collectors operated from behind the closed Omega-4 relay. The idea that something unusual was happening right next to her own throne wasn't something that she would tolerate, and according to Jack, the Alliance was trying to blame her for the abductions as it was.

Somehow that assignment had brought Kean and the Blades into conflict with Cerberus, alongside a Turian Spectre of all things, and he and this Lawson had cooked up some kind of plan to decapitate the terrorist organization so that she could reform it into a friendly-neighborhood band of maniacs in advance of helping protect the human colonies in question.

I'd spent a good minute and a half laughing when Jack had said that Lawson wanted me to work with her on that. It had proven to be about the only bit of amusement in the conversation, as she'd then moved on to Liara.

My lover... wasn't doing well. Liara had apparently been involved in the mission to recover my... recover me after one of the two Shadow Brokers had taken me to Omega, to be sold to the Collectors of all people. After that she'd struck some kind of deal with Kean that involved him pointing her towards where her father was hiding. Said father was apparently acting as the _other_ Shadow Broker, and Liara had been acting as her... troubleshooter, assistant, maybe protege, Jack wasn't really sure.

In either case, she assuredly wasn't the quiet archeologist that I'd fallen in love with. Part of me hated that, hated the loss of what was left of her innocence and purity. The rest of me could only nod in approval. Experience and pain were the best teachers, I knew that as well as nearly anyone, and the better prepared Liara was for the Reapers the better odds that she would live through it.

The news from the rest of the crew as haphazard, but Jack had at least had the foresight to ask Liara for a run-down before their mission started, on the off chance that shit happened. I was both grateful, a little impressed, and... a little upset. The Jacqueline I remembered from yesterday wouldn't have thought that far ahead or even considered planning for shit to go wrong.

"Ash finished her N-series shit." If Jack noticed my slight shift of mood, she didn't comment on it. "Broke your fucking records in the first five, but didn't quite manage it in six or seven. Still set the fastest run through the entire program according to doc blue."

"She's one hell of a soldier." I smiled slightly. "She finally make officer?"

She flicked her omni-tool to life, checking her notes. "...yeah, bitch made Lieutenant-Commander. Is assigned to your old man's task force, along with that muscle-head Vega. Some secret crap, not sure what they're really up to."

My old man... "How is Anderson doing?"

"Admiral." Jack grunted, shutting the tool off after another glance. "He's working with that spike Spectre that's working with us to fuck with Cerberus."

I nodded, then waved for her to move on. She did, turning her attention to Tali, her voice tinging a little with anger. Jack had always liked the young woman, and there was obvious emotion as she recounted that Tali had nearly been killed twice fighting the Geth during recon efforts to prepare for the invasion. Evidently her father had been keeping her close after that, to the point where not even Liara's father could find a way to get a message to her.

For their part, Joker and Karin had evidently deserted from the Alliance in order to help Liara, but had decided to stay with Lawson to keep an eye on me while the mad scientists worked. They'd gone with Lawson's flagship to Omega, the thing apparently had gotten pretty battered in one of the earlier fights and would meet up with us there.

Nikita had gone with them on the initial rescue mission, but these days she wasn't doing much better than Liara. She had evidently been working with my lover for most of the last year and half, had been captured and then rescued from Cerberus by Liara with Kean's hired help, and now she was on Omega hiding away in the Blades' headquarters. My concern really got going when _Jack_ had grimaced and said that the girl wasn't entirely all there anymore.

"Why the Blades?" I asked as she related that bit of information. "I mean, you've got a history with them, but Chi scares the crap out of Nikita and I don't think she and Kean ever spoke more than a few passing words. Is Liara paying him to keep her safe?"

Jack frowned at nothing as she replied, "Not that I know... fuck, there's some kind of shit going on there Shep. She and Cie have had a bunch of private fucking conversations since we rescued her, and only doc blue and a couple others are allowed to be with them."

"Who?" I asked quickly.

Her head shook. "His personal team, that bitch T'Laria, and ul Massa. Only people I've seen with blue are that thief and Vakarian."

I felt myself frowning a little, "They don't tell you-wait. Wait. _Vakarian? Garrus Vakarian?_ He's _alive?"_

Brown eyes blinked, then she snorted. "Right, he ran out on you didn't he? Yeah, that prick is around."

Garrus was... "Where the _fuck_ was he!?"

Her nose scrunched up as she visibly tried to remember, "This was before they picked me up again, but if rumors are right he was pretending to be the Punisher or some shit on Omega for a couple years."

A fake muscle in my cheek twitched. Violently. "The... Punisher. He was playing vigilante on Omega while we were... oh Jesus fucking Christ, that Archangel nut was _Garrus_? He left Nikita sobbing in a goddamned restaurant to go and fucking... tha' stupi' piece of fuckin' shit! I'm going rip his goddamn mandibles off the fuck of his fucking-"

My language devolved entirely into chopped up gutter oaths I'd learned on the streets of New York, and Jacqueline started cackling about thirty seconds into my rant. It took me a good five minutes and two glasses of whiskey to calm myself down into something closing simmering anger rather than boiling, and my friend was still grinning too widely as she dragged me back on point.

Ugh. The realization that _Jack_ was bringing _me_ back on track was enough to make me need another drink... and I scowled as I realized that I'd downed half a bottle and had yet to feel so much as tipsy.

"Right... well, after you're done doing all that shit to him," She grinned, "Maybe you can get some answers out of Niki. She didn't come out of that Cerberus camp all there, lot of weird shit that I heard about. Those people, the top fuckers, they definitely know what went down. I mean, the _why_ she was so screwed up."

I found myself frowning a little, reluctantly shoving my well deserved anger aside to focus. "What do you mean?"

Jack grimaced, her own mirth fading, "I've gotten to know Cie better this time around, enough to know when the ass is surprised and when he's pissed the fuck off. He was _furious_ about shit right after we bailed your girl out of that lab... but he wasn't surprised at how screwed up she was, or that she kept getting his name wrong. Annoyed for fucking sure, but not surprised."

The frown deepened as I leaned back in my chair. So far as I knew, only Liara and I were aware that Nikita had had the future blasted into her mind. We'd worried that there might be some side-effects, but we'd assumed that they were mostly confined to her personality issues. The idea that there had been others like her had been one we'd all considered, especially after she'd confided how Chi had confronted her several years back... but I'd never really considered that _Kean_ of all fucking people was another one.

Brown eyes narrowed. "You know shit."

I grunted. "The name Cynthi T'Ravt mean anything to you?"

Her face was pulling into an expression of loathing before I finished. " _That_ bitch. Yeah. Cie says she's the one who mauled his brain way back, said she did some shit to Niki and a few other people he knows about. More important is that she's been responsible for a whole lot of the crap we've had to deal with. Shit, we think she might have been the one who conned that turtle into kicking off the last war."

Interesting. I leaned an elbow onto the table, sipping from my latest drink and trying not worry about the lack of drunkenness. "He know why?"

"She's supposed to be working for the Leviathans." Her lips twisted a little, "Some kind of, big, living squid version of that Reaper you blew up. All of the Warlords are freaking out about them, that bitch supposedly sold out the entire Republics to them, and apparently Cerberus was experimenting with some of their shit."

I fought the urge to sigh. "Are you not supposed to know, or did you forget what I told you about information?"

She winced a little. "I didn't bloody forget, I just... was focused on other shit."

"Bloody?" I blinked.

Her arms crossed almost defiantly. "I live with a lot of Asari these days, it slipped out."

I snorted. "Speaking of living with a lot of Asari, I couldn't help but notice that you avoided telling me just how _you_ ended up back with these mercenaries."

There was another wince, this one accompanied by something like a flinch. "They... shit. They broke me out."

I just kind of stared at her before I groaned, "Jacqueline Nought..."

She scowled at nothing in particular. "You were fucking _dead_ Shep. That stealth shit was still running when we took the first hit, so someone got something on board to let them target us. I was... I wanted payback. Went to a Broker rep I knew back in the day and paid him everything I fucking had. Came back and said Cerberus had been involved and gave me a time and a place to hit them."

I could already see where this was going. "A setup?"

Her jaw clenched as she twitched her chin in a nod, "I... fucked up a Corsair op. Killed a few of them, put the Butcher's kid sister in traction. Realized it too late and gave myself up, but they didn't want to listen to shit. Threw me on ice. Blades showed up and tore up the Broker team who was trying to kill or take me, and gave your buddy the finger when he bitched about them taking me."

My hands had risen partway through her explanation, rubbing furiously at my face as I tried to process that. "You put Amy in... goddammit Jacqueline, all that work we did on your anger and-"

"Shep." She cut me off sharply, her expression annoyed. "I've had a fucking year to dwell on it. I fucking _know_ I screwed up, all right?"

I blinked, a little taken aback.

Jacqueline looked like she was more than ready to keep going, but then she surprised me _again_ by clicking her teeth together and clenching her jaw. It took her a good minute of awkward silence to calm down, but she managed it.

"You've changed." I murmured.

She snorted softly, finally taking her own drink up and throwing it back, "Yeah, well... time's fucking passed Shep. I've spent the last month helping fuck over Cerberus as hard as we could, I've got a steady fucking job for the first time in my goddamned life, even got a nice Asari girl. I'm not the same drug addicted cunt that joined the Blades the first time, or the wounded little bitch that you saved."

Time had passed.

Three tiny little words that I was having a hard time reconciling... and this was a fairly tame conversation with _Jacqueline._ What would Liara be like? Or Garrus? Or Nikita, or Ash, or Tali, or... anyone? Fighting the urge to groan, I rubbed furiously at my face, wishing that the half-bottle I'd downed in the last hour was actually having an effect on me.

Jack had evidently been trying to keep growing as a person, an endeavor I had entirely supported last week... fuck, last week for _me_. She had apparently spent a year and a half back in the Terminus, and I abruptly realized the full implications of that statement. Growth she might have had, but it might not have been the kind of growth that I would approve of, especially given the company she'd apparently been keeping.

It was easy enough to recognize, in hindsight. She'd used to _prowl_ more than walk, in the fashion of the more dangerous gangbangers that I'd run with in my youth. How I'd used to walk really, fire in my veins combined with a furtive, paranoid cant to my head as I searched for both predators and prey. But when she'd brought me to my room, she'd been more relaxed, had more steel in her spine, more discipline.

A small sample size, perhaps... but I had a bad feeling that the longer I struggled with the passage of time, the more it would bite me in the ass.

Before I could try and formulate a proper response, an apology, a question, or a combination of the two, there was a knock at the door. I didn't realize that I'd forgotten to lock it until it swung open after that single warning, and an Asari leaned in. I recognized her as one of Kean's old companions, the runic brand covering the left side of her face remained as distinctive as it had been the last time we'd met.

"Jack, Shep." She greeted us. "Cie thought you should know that we're not heading straight for Omega. Making a stop at Nagato to drop off the critical cases and discharge our drives, then we'll head out. T'Soni should meet us there."

Nagato? I wouldn't have picked it as the place to jump ship, but if that's where Liara would be then... My mental process broke off into a curse as I remembered that Joker, Nikita, and Karin were all on Omega. Even if I didn't go there on this ship, I'd probably be ending up there regardless.

"Second thing," The Asari merc continued, "Lawson's awake, wants to talk with her project."

Jacqueline scowled. "Fucking already? Shit, bitch really is Frankenstein. Come on Shep, might as well see if we can find out what happened to you. She in medical?"

The branded woman shook her head as she shoved the hatch open, stepping back. "Lounge four is still intact, she got moved up there."

While Jack was already standing and moving, I hesitated for a long moment, more than a little taken aback. She hadn't quite _ordered_ me to go with, but it also hadn't been phrased as a request between friends either... and there was no way she'd have said it like that yesterday.

Two years ago. Dammit.

Still, while I didn't like the situation, it was information that I needed. I _had_ to at least know the basics about my new body, preferably sooner rather than later. Gritting my teeth, I heaved myself up to my feet and followed before either of them seemed to realize that I'd delayed. While the Asari, whose name I couldn't recall, turned aft, Jacqueline lead me towards the prow.

I'd seen plenty of evidence of whatever battle the ship had been in when I'd first arrived, and I got to see even more as we headed forwards. Those crew who'd drawn the short straw to supervise cleanup shuffled the halls, clearing out of our way as they checked bulkheads and systems, or carried canisters of omni-gel and spare parts to wherever they were needed.

Others, most still in that damned navy and silver, were passing out in whatever cabins they could find. Many hadn't even bothered to close the doors, letting me see Turians in hammocks, Batarians sprawled in bunks, and Asari curled around one another on whatever comfortable material they could find. Once and a while I saw the long hair of a Human or unsuited Quarian, but both species were very clearly in the minority.

When we reached the lounge, I found myself a little taken aback. It was much less a lounge and more of a full-fledged, though smallish, _bar,_ complete with racks of alcohol and tables clearly designed to support a variety of card games. Three people were present, though the only one I recognized was Kean.

He looked much as he had the last time I'd seen him in person. Pale, wiry, he looked almost fragile in the simple uniform instead of the armor I'd only ever seen him wearing, though the neo-viking hairstyle lent him the dangerous edge that his natural frame lacked. Standing behind the bar, his attention was entirely on a red-headed woman seated on a stool across from him. She was wearing the distinctive body-suit style armor favored by Cerberus operatives, but I couldn't see her features from the door. Both had drinks in front of them, and were conversing quietly in some form of Batarian.

The third person present was a black haired woman, her features were... I found myself blinking a the almost haughty beauty the pale woman managed to project, even though she was sitting slumped in a hover-chair wearing nothing but a hospital gown. She noticed our arrival first, bright blue eyes snapping in our direction.

"Nought, Shepard." Her voice had a strong Australian accent, though it was quiet and obviously strained. "Thank you for coming."

"Whatever." Jacqueline dismissed her almost at once, turning instead to stride over towards the bar. "Cie, hit me up."

Kean snorted, his hands retrieving another glass and a bottle, working on filling it... without so much as twisting his neck or adjusting his posture. It was like watching a robot wearing human skin.

I fought the urge to shudder at the sheer _wrongness_ that he exuded, focusing instead on the woman who'd greeted me. "I take it you're Lawson?"

She dipped her head, "Miranda Lawson, former head of Project Lazarus and the leader of... well, I suppose we'll have to come up with a new name given how poorly our plans went."

I stared at her for a long moment, then cautiously walked over to take a seat near her humming chair. "You're Cerberus."

"In a way." She gave me a very slight nod. "I believe in the ideal."

Letting out a slow breath, I nodded slightly. "You know how I feel about your organization."

Lawson gave me an almost grim nod. "An understandable sentiment. Cerberus... became something it should not have been, which is why I began working to dismantle the organization and reform it as best I could."

Words couldn't describe how little I cared... but she had the answers I needed, so I tried to be polite. "I suppose I can't blame you if you managed to find a conscience. Jacqueline told me you want my help with your image repair problem."

My words may have been polite, or at least neutral, but my tone wasn't by the way she grimaced and sighed. "As you said, I am aware of your feelings towards our organization. The reclamation of Cerberus' name was something I did want your help with, yes, but that is entirely secondary towards our primary goal of protecting humanity."

I crossed my arms across my chest and leaned back in my chair. "From?"

"The Reapers and Leviathans, primarily." She replied, "I'm sure that Miss Nought gave you the basics, particularly how the Collectors have become involved."

"The basics, yes." I might have twitched my chin in the tiniest nod that I could manage. "But right now I'm more interested in just what you did to me."

Full lips pressed together for a long moment, then she spoke in slow, thoughtful tones. "I suppose that I cannot fault that priority. How much have you already been told?"

"How long I've been... dead." I replied, forcing myself to get the word out into the air. "And who you believed killed me."

"Who we _know_ killed you." Lawson corrected me, "But we should focus on your body."

She immediately launched into an overly technical lecture that I could barely follow, and her expression became one of mixed superiority and irritation when I interrupted her and told her to dumb it down enough for me to understand.

Long story short, she and her band of mad scientists had done the bare minimum of what was required to trick my body into running properly after death... but that minimum bar was pretty damned high. Most of my internal organs were still mine, though heavily upgraded with a bunch of advanced technological crap attached, which was apparently a minor miracle by itself. They'd expected to more or less have to build a separate cyborg body and then shove my brain into it, so the fact that I was even _partially_ me was something that she considered an incredible victory.

Personally I wasn't sure how to feel about that. I mean, sure, I'd come through the _Normandy'_ s crash more or less intact, save for the broken neck that had ended my life, and the frigid temperatures had preserved me until the Broker agents had thrown me into stasis... but I'd still fucking _died._

Most of the damage had actually come from those assholes dragging me free and not really caring what condition I was in when they'd done so. My right arm and leg were entirely cybernetic, and my left side had gotten 'upgrades' in order to maintain as much uniformity as possible. Nearly all of my bones had gotten protective weaves placed around them, and my rib cages were basically armored plates that had been extended to protect as much as possible. The repairs to my spine were apparently very touchy, and Lawson very seriously told me I should wear the heaviest armor that I could manage because she wasn't sure how much damage I could take even with the sub-dermal armor.

The cold had been too much for my eyes and skin, and so both had been replaced entirely. No one had evidently gotten real hair that could work with synthetic skin, so the strands on top of my head were as long as they would ever get unless I wanted to extend them. In less pleasant news, there had been parts of me that they _hadn't_ been able to repair. I still had ovaries, but there was nothing in them, and whatever they'd had to do to get my stomach and liver functioning meant that I was very resistant to toxins... and to alcohol.

I could _theoretically_ get drunk, but it was going to take a lot more than it used to.

And the sterility was... something. I wasn't sure what. Another hit to the continuous list whacking me over the head.

"You're stronger and faster than you once were," Lawson finished, "And in some ways more durable. In others, however, you're... very vulnerable. Doctor Chakwas and myself are the only people still alive with the proper skills to heal and repair you. Expanding that knowledge to other medical experts will be a priority."

"Can't argue with that." I murmured, still trying to process it all. "Anything else?"

She grimaced. "You will likely tire more quickly than you once might have, especially if you utilize your cybernetic limbs to their extremes. Additionally, since there has... never been a case like you before, there may be other side-effects. We are quite literally in uncharted waters Shepard, _anything_ unusual is something you should bring to myself or Doctor Chakwas immediately."

So to Karin then. "I'll remember that."

"Please do." Lawson narrowed her eyes, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking and wasn't happy about it. "If you're quite all right to continue, I would like to discuss our operational plans moving forwards."

At this, Kean finally interjected himself into the conversation, a torrent of crisp, cutting Illium-Thessian erupting from behind the bar. I hadn't bothered to turn my omni-tool's translator on yet, and Liara's lessons in her native tongue hadn't progressed very far. Worse, Kean had very good command of the tricky language, meaning that each word built on the last and practically ran together. All I got out of it were the words 'wait' and 'arrive'.

The Cerberus woman scowled at him, and then to my surprise, retaliated in the same tongue, with the same accent. Her command was at least as good as his, the words practically rolling into a single continuous sound that I couldn't take anything out of.

"Excuse me." I interrupted before Kean could reply, "I'd rather not listen to an echo, could you please speak English or Español?"

Everyone turned to stare at me, Lawson and the red-head in surprise, Jack with a bemused smile, and Kean with annoyance. The man spoke up first, still in Thessian, and whatever it was made the red head snort.

"Seriously? That long?" She asked, in neutral sounding English. When he merely rolled his eyes and waved his arms about him, she snorted again and turned to me. "He says to grow up and deal with the irritation."

I felt my scowl deepen as I glared at him. "You're really going to be that petty?"

Red rolled her eyes a little, "Shepard, he doesn't speak English, or Spanish, or any other human language."

That made me blink. "What?"

She repeated herself, then continued, "No one speaks Terran languages in the Terminus, it's all Illium-Thessian or Khar'voik." When I merely blinked again, she sighed. "Lower Batarian."

Pursing my lips, I considered letting him be stuck using someone else to translate... then decided that would annoy me just as much as the stupid device. I turned it on in time to hear Kean grunt.

"Now that you're being an adult," He ignored my glare, "The point stands. No bloody reason to waste time planning until we're at Omega and we know what options we've got."

"You're assuming," I retaliated, "That I'm going to be staying. The moment that I can grab my crew we're going to go to the Council and Alliance."

Kean snorted, "Seriously? Frankenstein, you said you put her head back together just like it was... or was she always this-"

"Hephaestus, please." The redhead actually put a hand on his arm, her head tucking to the left with her chin down. He pursed his lips at the title, which made me smirk a little, then nodded. "May I? Thank you. Shepard, my name is Kelly Chambers. Once we arrive at Omega, you will of course be free to contact the Council through Spectre Atia Severa."

I nodded slightly, recognizing the name. I'd seen her in passing a few times at the Spectre headquarters, though I couldn't say that we'd ever really chatted... more ominous was the fact that they were openly going to let me do so. "What do you know that I don't yet?"

Chambers gave Kean a sharp glance when he opened his mouth, and I blinked in surprise when he shut it and shook his head. The Cerberus woman gave him a long stare as if challenging him to try again, only speaking when he lifted his glass to his lips.

"Not something we know, something that you simply haven't processed yet." She spoke slowly, keeping her tone almost gentle. "It's understandable, given everything that we've hit you with, but it's something that will have to be accepted and worked with."

I frowned, not getting what she was dancing around. "Just tell me."

There was a quiet sigh, "First, you were resurrected from death. By itself that will be more than most people will believe, and there will likely be a heavy push-back from your political enemies in the Alliance. Many of them are still in positions of authority, thanks to the Illusive Man, and they will not want Earth to have anything to do with you."

"Second," Lawson spoke before I could reply, "Your feelings towards our organization are hardly uncommon, and you will hardly be able to hide who was responsible for your recovery. Once word spreads that you were associated with Cerberus, a terrorist organization, the Council will revoke your title and order your arrest."

My frown deepened, "Spectres are allowed to associate and work with anyone in the name of... shit. Politics?"

The beautiful woman nodded tiredly. "Technically you are not in any legal trouble, but only so long as the Council agrees. Udina and Sparatus may support you, but Tevos and Valern certainly won't. Calyn would be the swing vote."

Dammit. I liked the Elcor, and I thought the feeling was reciprocated, but... time had passed, and he had always been one for procedural correctness. If I remembered the very few rules that Spectres had, that would mean a temporary revocation of my status and house-arrest inside the Spectre headquarters until an investigation could be completed. Which would definitely clear me of any wrong doing, but it would take god knew how long.

"Thirdly." Chambers' quiet voice came out low and earnest, "People are dying, Shepard. Entire colonies have been taken by the Collectors, tens of thousands carted away like cargo. We plan to do our best to act against them... but our forces have been battered in the recent fighting. We need allies, a plan, and leadership. A way to fight back and protect those who can't protect themselves. _"_

Closing my eyes, I felt anger rise at the blatant emotional manipulation... even as I knew it was fucking working. I'd sworn to myself, when I had left the streets, that I would more than balance the scales. That I would _never_ stand by again while others suffered, to be hurt as I had allowed or caused so many to.

But... goddammit. It was _Cerberus_ and the _Blades._ A terrorist organization and a mercenary corporation well on its way to becoming a military junta. I had no idea if this Lawson had actually developed a soul, or if there was some kind of end-game that I didn't know about yet. And Kean... fuck, Jacqueline had all but stated that he was only involved because Aria would kill him if he backed out.

Neither was the kind of ally I would need to fight something as nebulous as the Collectors. I needed more information, information that I could actually _trust._ I needed time to process what had happened to me, what I'd become... time to decide what to do, where to go, and who to talk with.

I needed my friends.

I needed Liara.

"I'm... not deciding on anything right now." I shook my head slowly, not opening them. "Not until I can talk with Liara."

Chambers nodded slowly, "I understand. We're still a good seven hours out, I think you should try and get some rest right now. Take some time to yourself."

Yeah... that sounded good.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude II: Steel Pagoda**_

 _Just one point of view for the interlude, though it is at least reasonably long compared to some of the interludes of old. Original plan was to have two interludes in total before the next operation, though I might extend that up to three or four. We'll see how things go._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat


	9. Interlude II: Steel Pagoda

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude II: Steel Pagoda**

* * *

 **Warrior Merit**

 _Councilor Sparatus_

 _ _Date:__ 08-07-2186

 _ _Location:__ Hierarchy Embassy, Presidium, The Citadel, Widow Nebula

* * *

"Councilor." My assistant bowed his head, mandibles tight against his jaws as I stormed into my private rooms. "I take it the meeting went poorly?"

I felt my claws curl a little, "Poorly implies that there was a chance it could have gone well at all."

Jaelux Hastae sighed, closing the door and engaging the security system before following me deeper into the overly large collection of chambers. The banners of my old regiments and the crests of my warships looked down upon austere furniture as we reached my private lounge, the one place I could relax after having to deal with the others. I had hoped that the additions of the Humans and Elcor might make my meetings _slightly_ more tolerable... but I'd been quickly disabused of such notions.

Tedious didn't even begin to describe what I had been forced to suffer through this morning.

"I take it Tevos is still...?"

"Yes." I growled as his voice trailed off. "That she is in disagreement with the Assembly is certain, but _what_ that is... she's too good at hiding or faking her emotion, much like Udina."

He let out a darkly amused chuckle. "Another thing they have in common then. How many no-confidence votes has he scraped his way past?"

"Three." I replied at once, lowering my tired body into my preferred swinging chair. "Enough to make me wary of cutting any more deals with him. The last thing we need is to lose our principle ally at this juncture."

Jaelux's mandibles twitched once as he nodded. "Speaking of the human, you have that dinner at their embassy this evening."

My eyes closed as I growled, regret at ever accepting this post rising up once again. No Turian had ever refused, not at the levels of the meritocracy that I dwelled within... but Spirits, there were days when I considered becoming the first to just walk away from all of this sire-fucking shit. "My wife?"

"Will be there." He replied, some level of amusement returning. "Though whether any of your personal guard will be intact to escort you is less certain. She and your sons decided to begin a tournament this morning."

I could only sigh at yet another transparent attempt to find Tallios a proud woman to settle down with. "How did she convince Nerith and Lossis to help her this time?"

"I found it prudent to not ask." My old friend flicked his left mandible in lazy amusement, "In either case, you have time to rest your ancient plates if you wish."

Rather than remind him, again, that he was two years older than I, I simply let my head fall back and my body relax. Typically, I had barely closed my eyes when there was a quiet knock at the door. Jaelux groaned, heaving himself up from wherever he had settled himself, his boots clacking hard on the floor.

"What is it?" He demanded, his harmonic voice low.

"Apologies sir." A woman's voice replied, and I sighed as I recognized one of my better Spectre agents. "I have to speak with the Councilor immediately and privately."

I head Jaelux sigh, then more footsteps as he departed and another being entered. I opened my eyes to see Atia Severa draw herself up, giving me a brief salute before falling into an at-rest position. "Sir."

"Atia." I replied, pushing myself up to my feet, taking the striking young woman in as I did. Her heavy armor was still scratched and marked, and the hide beneath her plates was decidedly flat. She'd rushed here directly after returning from her mission to Human space then, without so much as bothering to clean herself or her armor. "I am not going to like this, am I?"

"Not anymore than I do sir." Her mandibles began to flick rapidly in agitation before she closed her eyes and visibly got herself under control. "I was returning from my assignment to eliminate Henry Lawson when I received a transmission from the Blades."

I felt my spurs tighten. "Their campaign against Cerberus failed?"

"Partially." She spread her talons apart in a gesture of reassurance, "The Illusive Man and his core cell escaped, but they were able to destroy Cerberus' primary battle fleet and kill their primary military leader. The problem is what they found within the headquarters itself.. or rather, _who_ they found."

I didn't appreciate the dramatic pause, crossing my arms to make that clear.

"My apologies sir, it's..." Severa let out a whistling exhalation. "Spirits, it's impossible is what it is. They found... Shepard."

Shepard? "Cerberus had her corpse? Why?"

"Not her corpse." Her head shook once. "They had _Shepard._ She's holding on the secure line I provided to Kean."

To my shame, she had to repeat herself, twice, before I could actually begin to process what she was telling me. Shepard had not been my favorite Human to work with, their new Spectre was far more tolerable in terms of personality, but she'd had a distressing tendency to be _right_ where her government and others were very wrong. And regardless of my personal feelings, I could freely admit that she had been nearly Turian in her determination and adherence to honor and law.

That her death had allowed the Asari, Humans, and Salarians to pretend that we had centuries to prepare for the Reapers was something that I also found intolerable.

"She survived the destruction of her ship?" I inquired, not yet moving to activate the room's communications suite. "Were they experimenting upon her?"

Severa shifted her posture, "Unknown to both, but likely. The Alliance's examination of the crash when they finally got around to it indicated that her ship was still under nominal control up until impact. It is possible, though very unlikely, that she was merely critically wounded when she was retrieved from the wreck. In either case I doubt that Cerberus could have held for a year and a half without doing more than heal her."

I felt my plates shift as I grimaced, trying to decide how to handle the situation... and feeling a burden fall onto my shoulders as I realized something else. "She chose to contact me, rather than Udina?"

She nodded slightly, and I felt a low growl rise in my throat as I waved an impatient hand. The Spectre grasped the wordless message, and activated her omni-tool. A few moments later the door sealed itself shut, and a low buzz began to make my growing headache worse as a variety of devices ensured were weren't listened in upon.

A small flash of blue light preceded the image projection, a human female appearing in a corner of the room as she paced impatiently back and forth. Even in the ridiculously baggy clothes that she wore, and the lack of her distinctive facial scar, did not stop me from at least recognizing her features

Her head snapped up as the connection finalized, and she seemed to slump in relief. " _Councilor Sparatus. Can't believe I'm saying this, but it's good to see you."_

I regarded her, then shook my head slightly. "After the Battle of Noveria, we had a private conversation. Repeat it."

If she was surprised, she didn't show it. " _I don't think you actually said anything beyond a constant stream of curses when you realized we didn't get Saren."_

That was not an inaccurate recollection. "And our discussion in my office after the Battle of the Citadel?"

She shrugged, " _Mostly focused on what we found at Ilos, and how many Reapers could still be around. It moved onto politics when your assistant showed up with Udina, trying to figure out how to start rebuilding and preparing. Might have been some talk on the Geth in there too."_

Walking back over to my chair, I forced myself to settle into calmly, not letting my talons scratch the wood as I searched my memories for other minor conversations that we had had during her time as a Spectre. Her answers were generally correct, though rarely perfect... then again, I couldn't truly expect her recollection to be exact given the short duration of those few private conversations that we had had.

Once I had vetted her as best I could, I had allowed to her inform me of just what had happened to her. The story, such as it was, was hardly believable... although considering the group in question, I found myself more resigned than angry. It was far more likely that she had simply been in a medical coma, her armor and the ship's failing systems keeping her alive just long enough to be placed into stasis once whoever had retrieved her had been able to find the wreckage.

Shepard grimaced as I informed her of such, and nodded slowly. " _I'm not going to lie, that tends to seem more likely to me as well... but right now I'm not sure it matters."_

Letting myself sink back a bit, I regarded her passively, keeping my mandibles against my jaw. "And what does matter?"

" _Whether or not you believe that I'm actually me."_ Shepard replied bluntly, " _And what we do if you do or don't."_

I nodded slowly, then turned to face Severa. "Your opinion?"

The young woman shrugged. "She acts like Shepard, according to Kean. He says it's her."

"And you trust him?"

There was another shrug. "Insomuch as I trust anyone, yes. He's not a very good liar, and honestly what could he possibly gain from this? He's been working with Cerberus insiders, yes, but he's been demanding far more payment than he's charged us in return for his services."

I considered that. The Blades were... an anomaly. They profited and benefited from the sickening dishonor and illegality that was rife within the Terminus, but according to my people there was a sort of irritated tolerance to their actions, and Kean was evidently something of a pariah on Omega outside of his personal fiefdom.

Further, their mercenary actions were hardly mercenary. They may have demanded compensation for their services, but I could not recall any private corporation that was as decidedly picky about who they worked for. Aside from their temporary involvement in a Traverse brush war, itself easily identified as a means to sharpen their talons prior to their Cerberus campaign, they largely seemed content to defend Human and Batarian colonies that could afford to hire them.

Terminus scum they might have been, but they were positively _tolerable_ compared to most of their kin... and that worried me somewhat. There were two possible explanations for their actions. The first, and the one I privately hoped to be true, was that they too believed in the threat of the Reapers and these... Leviathans, and that they were preparing for a war against them.

The second, and the one that Tevos and Valern constantly harped about, was that they were constructing the foundation for a nation-state of their own in the Traverse, either at Kean or Massa's behest. Irritatingly, they had far more evidence to base their claims on than I did, and had only held back as the combined campaign against Cerberus had been considered sufficient use to warrant them remaining around.

Shepard returning to life... how would that factor into either concept? Further, how would the other Councilors and their nations react to the news?

"Have you spoken with them about their plans?" I asked, trying to put the puzzle together. "What do Kean and this... Lawson, intend to do?"

" _The Blades are pulling back to try and lick their wounds."_ Shepard provided, " _I think they're going to mass what ships they have left around Nagato while the rest are repaired. Petrovsky evidently took quite a few of them down with him. After that, I'm not sure. Kean apparently has orders from Aria to deal with the Collectors by whatever means necessary, I think he's hoping to push the job off onto me and Lawson."_

Ah yes, the Collectors. I had nearly forgotten that asinine claim amidst everything else she'd been relaying. "Have you seen any proof of Collector involvement?"

Her strange lips twisted into a grimace. " _Bits and pieces of strange tech they claim was taken from sites hit, along with fractured sensor data. They do have a lot in regards to Geth involvement however. Pieces of platforms, combat footage from Novgorod, and data from others. I'm not sure on the Collectors, but I would say that Geth were definitely involved at most of the colonies that were attacked."_

That made me frown slightly. "Faked?"

" _Doubtful."_ Shepard shook her head. " _There's too many people involved, and they offered to let me talk with the crew from Novgorod if I don't believe them."_

Severa's mandibles twitched. "If nothing else, that gives us more reasons to let the Warlords and the Flotilla get on with finishing those things off. The last thing we need is for another Geth incursion to make the Alliance... what is that human expression, to withdraw within armor like a frightened animal?"

" _Turn turtle."_ Her fellow Spectre, possibly, provided. " _Lawson's been giving me data on the political situation on Arcturus, and on Earth... neither is pretty, and I have a Broker agent whose corroborating most of it."_ At my expression, she rushed to reassure me, " _The sane Broker, not the psychopath who set me up to get killed. I trust the intel."_

I let out a slow breath. "You are not making my life any easier, Shepard. Has this Cerberus faction told you their plans?"

" _Basically the same as Kean's, just ideologically motivated. They want to protect the colonies in the Traverse from predation."_ Her expression became... complicated. " _They don't have much in the way of armed forces beyond an experimental light cruiser and a frigate, and barely enough crew for either. Lawson... wants me to work with her to create a spec-ops team to take the fight to the Collectors as soon as practicable, with Kean supporting us with his army."_

More thoughts flicked through my mind as she spoke. Logically I could see the reasoning, if this Lawson's primary goal was the defense of human colonies in that region. If the Collectors were actually involved, their technology was supposedly beyond even the Asari, but so were the Geth's. Shepard had a long track record of doing more with less, and inspiring almost fanatic loyalty in small teams of elite commandos.

Further, Kean would be necessary to maintain relations with the superior warlords, allowing them to move freely through the Terminus without having to waste time dealing with pirates or lesser warlords looking for loot. And if the Collectors turned out not to be involved, and it was merely the Geth, they could simply re-purpose themselves as an elite support unit for the invasion of Rannoch.

Against that was... what? If The Blades' long term goal was the creation of state in the Traverse, the alliance made no sense. Cerberus would never allow ul Massa to rule over humans, not even in the most liberal Batarian fashion, and so conflict would begin. Shepard would oppose either group attempts anything of the sort, and would be in an ideal position to direct other Spectres or Council forces to destroy both groups.

"If Kean wants to betray them," Severa spoke into the tense silence that had fallen, "If his alliance with the insiders was merely to accelerate the destruction of Cerberus, he will have to pounce very soon."

I nodded slowly. "The question becomes one of procedure. Bringing you into the fold officially is not something I consider wise at this time, Shepard."

She grimaced, " _Because you don't believe I'm me?"_

"You could be a clone, or perhaps someone modified to look like Shepard." I replied, keeping my voice even. "Or you could be yourself and affected badly by Asari mental techniques and hypnotic conditioning. Personally I believe that you at least consider yourself to be Shepard, and I intend to operate as if you are her... with proper precautions."

" _Getting some use out of me while you can."_ Shepard shook her head, " _I suppose that's better than being brushed aside or arrested. Hit me."_

"Every Councilor has some leeway in regards to commanding Spectre agents, without needing to bring in the others." I mused through my options, "I will re-activate your credentials quietly, and assign you to my personal service. Your primary task will be to evaluate the dangers of both the Cerberus break-away faction and the Silver Blades, and to determine what their long-term goals actually are."

She nodded slowly, " _And the Collectors?"_

"Your secondary mission." I nodded, "Determine if they are actually involved, and if they are, utilize whatever assets provided to end their threat to the Citadel and the Traverse colonies. My ability to grant you additional support will be limited, but I will attempt to keep Severa and at least one Deathwatch team ready to extract you should Cerberus or the Blades become a threat."

That seemed to relieve her far more than I thought that it would, " _Thank you sir. Should I operate under an alias?"_

"Wherever practicable." I replied, "I need to consider the best means to frame your... revival, so as to not touch off a political shitstorm."

Shepard blinked, then snorted. " _You've been hanging around Udina too much."_

I had, he was the most reasonable of my fellow Councilors... and wasn't that a depressing thought. "Dismissed Spectre, report via Spectre Severa's connection wherever possible. I would recommend that you also find a means to connect me discreetly as quickly as possible."

" _I'll see what I come up with."_ She gave me a polite nod, " _I'll be in touch, Councilor."_

The signal cut out when I nodded, leaving my agitated frame sitting in my chair as Severa looked on.

"Did you know," She spoke quietly as I glared at nothing in particular, "That the Blades consider the word 'complicated' to be a curse?"

"I believe I can understand that." I felt my mandibles twitch irritably, jerking my head to indicate that she should go. I needed some time alone to figure out how in the Spirits' names I was going to manage the chaos that this was going to cause.

* * *

 **The Masquerade**

 _Kelly Chambers_

 _Location:_ Neo Kyoto, Nagato, Vakar Nebula, Attican Traverse

* * *

I had always liked Nagato. It was such an elegant blend of Turian and Human culture, proof that our species could co-exist without feeling the need to kill each other just for being different. Of course, I likely wouldn't have chosen classical Japanese culture as the basis for the merger, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Honestly, pagoda towers did not need to be armored plated, nor have ground-to-space weapons at their peaks. It completely ruined the aesthetic.

"I don't think Sparatus quite believes her." I hummed as we walked down a busy street, locals stepping back and bowing as we moved past them. Or rather, offering respect to the borrowed uniforms that we were wearing. "But he seems quite willing to utilize her for his own ends. Her orders are to watch us and the Blades, report on anything untoward that we get up to... and to help us against the Collectors if they actually happen to be involved."

Miranda let out a quiet breath, her shoulders visibly relaxing. Like me she bore the plain trappings of a Silver Blade officer, the dark colors offsetting her still pale skin. Technically she shouldn't have been walking around, but Miranda was Miranda... stubbornness was to be expected and worked around. "That's good... we can work with that."

"Yup." I nodded, smiling at a very cute young Turian wearing a yukata who had looked up from the small zen garden in front of a rather large home. He grinned almost nervously back as we walked past, and I idly memorized the address... God knew I need someempty fun after the last couple of days. "She's going to be looking for a plot that doesn't exist, unless you haven't told me that we're going to create a new Human state in the Traverse."

There was a weak laugh. "Those fools are still paranoid about that?"

"Mmhmm. At least from the last reports we've read." I resisted the urge to snort, "They're really worried about the Blades creating a little empire out here."

A scoff from my companion. "That would take actual work, something that I'm fairly sure Kean is allergic to. His answer to everything is to delegate it to someone else."

That drew a genuine smile to my lips. "Jealous of how large his organization is, are you?"

Miranda's scowl was answer enough. "Can we stay on topic please? What do you think the Blades' take will be?"

I shrugged, "Their usual reaction to anything from Council space; a nice blend of mild amusement and apathy."

"I meant to Shepard staying to help us." She corrected me primly.

I couldn't help but giggle. "So did I. Honestly Miranda, you know Kean, the man had at least five back-up plans in case Shepard didn't decide to work with us."

"True." She allowed with a quiet sigh, her pace slowing a bit as she tried and failed to cover a wince. "A better question is how we're going to... proceed from here."

I sighed. "You didn't take your painkillers, did you?"

"I needed a clear head for this conversation." Her expression grew alarmed as she registered what I was doing, "No, don't you _dare-_ "

Two fingers had reached my lips before she could even try to stop me, a sharp whistle making most of the nearby citizens wince at the volume. Several others, however, merely stopped pretending to shop and instead moved in our direction, and soon enough there were six Blade Hunters surrounding us. Well, Huntresses, technically. All six were Asari in light armor, bearing a pistol on one hip and a sword on the other, with a third weapon of their own choosing riding on their backs.

"I'm fine." Miranda growled at the Squad Leader, who ignored her entirely and motioned for two of her subordinates to handle it. My boss could only scowl as one of the Asari pushed a hover-chair behind her, and another gave her a gentle biotic flick to send her stumbling back into it.

"Thank you." I made sure to smile and give the huntress a polite bow.

"Not a problem." The Asari, like many in the Blades, had gone with a pair of black lines bisecting both eyes for her markings, bowed in return. "Director said to follow your orders and ignore anything the stuck-up one said."

I smothered another grin as a muscle in Miranda's cheek twitched. "Thank you again, but we need to get her back to a medical professional."

"You heard her." A blue hand rose and waved, "Back to base."

We got moving as a group, one Blade pushing Miranda along while the others fanned out into a proper escort formation. I stayed near her so that we could keep talking, though from her expression she would have rather I leaped off the nearest tower.

"I doubt we'll have to worry about the Blades talking," I mused, "Considering her opinion of them. More likely that Miss T'Soni will discover it... still, so long as we merely stick to paranoid information gathering, I don't think that she will express her anger violently."

Miranda gave me a side-long look, "Are you sure? You have been rather blatant in your pushing. She might be sufficiently irritated to break from us, or negotiate for a stronger position in whatever alliance we form."

"We've been over this," I sighed, not feeling at all as bothered talking in front of the mercenaries as she did. "Shepard isn't someone who is going to just open up to me, or you, about what she's gone through. Pushing her lets me observe her reaction and get a better read on her mental state. And besides that, she _expects_ us to be manipulative when it comes to her. If we don't give her something to focus on she's going to become increasingly paranoid about what our actual goal is."

She gave a quiet sigh, then shook her head. "Her cooperation is crucial, so please don't overdo it. We're going to have enough problems between her and Kean as it is."

That drew a genuine wince across my features. My ability to observe the three of them together had been limited during the trip here, and then our arrival, but what I'd see did not bode well for future cooperation between the three groups.

For whatever reason, Shepard seemed to have an almost visceral dislike of the mercenary, something that his general personality didn't seem to be helping. For his part, Kean didn't really seem to care about Shepard one way or the other, if anything he treated her like a mild irritant that he had to put up with. And Miranda has simply been too busy recovering from her wounds to try and mediate or even really involve herself.

Right now there wasn't anything more than mild sniping between Kean and Shepard, but that wouldn't last. Shepard's personality was that of a take-charge leader, she would establish herself in command and expect everyone else to follow. Like most soldiers of her rank she was big on obedience and following orders, especially orders that she issued. This hadn't been much of a problem for her in the past, given that she was a military officer and thus more or less expected to behave that way, and those civilians that she had brought on during her hunt for Saren had been convinced to fall in line for a variety of reasons.

The problems came when her personality met Miranda and Kean.

Miranda had just rebelled against her _second_ father, and was not going to react at all well to someone else telling her what to do with _her_ assets. And Kean... Kean was going to be even worse. The man was essentially just an Asari-raised Batarian wearing Human skin, and if Shepard found his current attitude to be grating she was going to be in for a rude surprise when he became honestly angry with her.

Miranda and I got along with him fine because I knew how to handle Batarians, and had been able to coach her through the proper acting to ensure he viewed us as equals rather than subordinates or superiors. Once Kean knew where you were in the Batarian social pyramid in relation to his own position, he calmed down quite significantly and could be surprisingly tolerable company.

"That Kean is going to be the premier member of our little troika is not going to help." Miranda groused even as I mused, "With the SR-2 in need of repairs, he's the only one with ships sufficiently capable for our missions."

Another wince. "She won't be thrilled about that. Do you think the Broker has any assets we could utilize?"

"If she did, she wouldn't be losing her little shadow war." Black hair shifted as she shook her head. "I wouldn't trust anything she could provide in either case, and I doubt he would either. It will be one of his ships until the repairs are complete."

I hummed softly. "Out of curiosity, what early missions do you have in mind?"

"Our first p-priority..." She winced, sucked in a breath, then lowered her voice and spoke more slowly. "Priority, is going to be getting Shepard settled and reassured as to our goal. Recruiting Okeer and Solus should come first. We can manage that while upgrading our warning network around the colonies that remain."

"Sounds reasonable." I offered, "She should agree, especially if you maintain that she will have command of both of them. What about your own team?"

"EDI's mobile platform at the very least... but right now I believe I would rather have everyone else with Jacob. Including EVA." Her full lips pursed, "Kai Leng is out there, and he's a vindictive little ass. He'll be hunting us, and our support staff will need the protection."

I couldn't exactly argue with the assessment, or the plan when put that way. "Did you want me with as well, or should I find a ride to base?"

Miranda scoffed weakly. "I would hate to deprive Shepard of your services, and I still need you to help me navigate the Blades."

A quiet sigh escaped me. I'd been rather afraid of that, and hadn't been looking forwards to the confirmation. The problem with being a psychologist was being able to apply your own lessons to yourself, and having to face what you intellectually know but didn't want to admit.

My alcohol consumption had risen significantly over the past few months, beginning after the engagement on Carastes and still rising after what had happened on Minuteman. I'd been having nightmares, reliving the moments where I had killed my former friends perfectly thanks to my damned eidetic memory. And my sex life, while never exactly slow, had picked up as I tired to lose myself in pleasurable moments.

The counselor needed a counselor... lovely irony. Kean was supposed to have an Asari Mind Healer around somewhere, I'd have to find a covert way to inquire about that.

I caught my mask slipping, and quickly fixed it as we returned to the walled complex that housed the Silver Blades Third Omega Regiment, the guards offering casual bows and a quick security scan before allowing us through the main gate. Our escort peeled away that point, leaving me to push an increasingly silent Miranda back to medical.

The regimental Doctor, a handsome old Drell, growled furiously at the sight of her. A pair of Batarian nurses quickly hauled her into a bed as he furiously berated her for sneaking out before he could administer the painkillers and other drugs that she'd needed to take. Smiling to myself, and blissfully ignoring her look of betrayal, I left her to her fate.

Turning right, I headed back outside, casually checking to make sure no one was around before I spoke aloud.

"So, are you going to tattle on us?"

My left arm shifted, crooking at the elbow as a woman appeared, threading her own arm through it. "How'd you know I was still following you?"

"Lucky guess." I replied cheerfully, glancing to my left as she pulled her mask off. "Are you?"

Kasumi Goto hummed thoughtfully as we walked arm and arm between two barracks, exiting out into a quiet courtyard. "Not really sure yet. I don't think Liara-kun will be all that happy with you, but then again, revealing that you listened in would be a bit hypocritical of me."

Meaning she'd done so as well, had probably even been right in the room with Shepard. "How about a little bribe just to be sure. There was a nice little mansion on sixth street that I was going to visit tonight, I'd be happy to distract the young man who owns it for you."

She perked up visibly at the idea. "Hmm. Now that's an idea... what time were you thinking?"

"Right after dinner." I smiled. "Meet me there?"

"Consider it a date."

* * *

 _ **Next ups is Interlude III: A Wretched Hive**_

 _And Sparatus knows that Shepard is alive, and we give Kelly a little more establishment as she and Miranda make a few minor preparations._ _Originally there was going to be a third point of view, Voya going over her punishment for running off at the station, but it ended up feeling like just a filler occupying space that didn't really move the plot or tell us anything we didn't already know about Voya._

 _Next chapter will be back to Shepard, and its contents should be entirely obvious just from the title._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

Dekuton - He and Shepard are going to have more than a few conversations as this story unfolds, just not at this moment.

Adam Pitlik / Guest #2 - Remember, Shep's been awake for less than a day of the last chapter, and those few times she's met Cieran & co in person did not endear her to them.

Guest #1 - Cieran confronts his problems, yes, but he's also very apathetic when it comes to problems best left to someone else. He really doesn't _care_ about Shepard and won't until she involves herself in his affairs. There will be plenty of confrontation between them, just not at this very moment.

Seabo76/FansYourFiction - Kelly, unlike almost everyone else, knows how to talk with Cieran and hold herself in such a way that he'll listen to her.


	10. Interlude III: Wretched Hive

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude III: Wretched Hive**

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _ _Date:__ 08-10-2186

 _ _Location:__ _Neo Kyoto, Nagato, Vakar Nebula, Attican Traverse_

* * *

Liara arrived the day we were due to leave, two days behind the thief she'd sent on ahead to make sure that Kean didn't try and depart before she got here.

I'd barely had time to see her features before she'd grabbed my shoulders and all but hauled me out of the hangar. Sheer surprise stopped me from resisting overmuch, and I'd been shoved into a small locker-room a few seconds later. The quiet sound of the lock engaging sounded ominous somehow, and I felt my breath catch as she turned to properly face me.

Her beauty was still there, but it was... dulled, tarnished almost. Brilliant eyes were flat, her cheeks were a little sunken, and the battered, lab-coat style armor she wore seemed to hang off of her, making me think that she'd lost weight. Worse, there were scars on her face, four precise little lines of burned skin on one side, all of them scrunched up as she stared at me with a horribly complex set of emotions.

"Liara." I swallowed, trying to feel her through our bond. It... was there, I thought, but it was horribly muddled, and I couldn't even make out her general mood. "My god, are you...?"

"Kaya." She managed to get out my name, then sucked in a breath and closed her eyes while her body shuddered. "I... I need to make sure it's you. That you came... came back. We have to meld. Now."

The sheer desperate hope in her voice made me swallow, and I quickly moved to sit on the nearest bench. "Of course. I'm... I'm right here."

"I hope so." The murmur came as she carefully followed me, falling to one knee in front of me. Hands hesitated, then almost feverishly lurched forwards to grip my forearms. There was no warning, no offering to embrace eternity. One heartbeat we were there, the next her eyes had snapped to black and I was lost inside of them.

Memory and feeling assaulted me, shredding away any sense of self.

The coffin lowered into the ground, unbelievable grief assaulting every inch of my soul. Anger and fury rising with it, knowing that it was empty, that the _coward_ daring to praise Kaya's death hadn't wanted to risk recovering her body; not even to find out who killed her.

Panic and pain as the assassins chased me, the ringing voice of Lawson echoing in my apartment as we fought off the attackers. That same person lowering her tones to something melodic and earnest as she convinced me that my bondmate could be recovered, healed, brought back to me.

Seeing the stasis pod, seeing her broken body inside. Having to give her to Cerberus on nothing more than vague promises and quiet assurances. Watching Joker and Doctor Chakwas go with, promising to keep her safe once she woke up. Speaking with my sister and Kean in quiet tones, learning where my father was, leaving with Garrus and Nikita to find her.

Aethyta, looking more like a broken sword than a wise Matriarch, slumping as I saw what she had become. Holding me awkwardly but sincerely as my emotions went to pieces, conversing over drinks as she told me everything that there was to know about herself and my mother. The lives of my other half-sisters, one dead at Matriarch T'Ravt's hands, the other working for my father.

Learning how to act as an information broker, how to turn my love of archaeology and science to darker ends. Taking part in the silent war between the two Shadow Brokers, seeing the dead bodies at my feet and wondering why I felt tired and annoyed rather than horrified and sick. The quiet pain as Garrus patched up my wounds, Kasumi standing guard over a field of corpses, of people we had executed on nothing more than suspicion.

Closing my eyes and wondering what Kaya would think of me now.

Fear when my father was taken by Cerberus. Confronting Sederis, demanding her aid, trying to blackmail her like a stupid little maiden. Feeling the raw and utter terror as the elder Asari revealed herself in her full power before me, my knees on the ground as I had been forced to grovel while a biotic firestorm swirled around us. The sneering dismissal as she had sent me to Kean, the pain as she scarred my face so that I would remember.

Discovering the horrible truths about Nikita, what she had been forced to do, what damage had been done to her mind. Finding my attention divided as I began to work with Kean and Lawson, preparing for the latter's coup and aiding the former in researching the condition that was slowly killing him and Nikita.

The long awaited news that she was awake. That the coup had begun. Seeing her standing in ill-fitting clothes, awkwardly pacing as she waited for me. The moment of pure joy and relief as she saw me in return.

Reality crashed back in as I found myself stretched out on a bench in a locker room, the lights spinning a little above me. Muttering a quiet curse, I brought up my hand to shield my eyes and stared at the pale flesh and drab clothing in confusion. That wasn't... no, no that was right. I was... my name was Kaya. I was Shepard.

"I'm..." My chest heaved as I inhaled, repeating the mantra that had always helped me come back. "I'm Kaya Shepard. My name is Shepard."

One the floor beside me, one hand still gripping my arm, I heard Liara muttering her own assurances of her identity. We'd only melded that deeply two or three times, but the first time had been sufficiently terrifying to me that she'd helped come up with a little routine to recover. While it did help, it still took a good ten minutes before I felt like me again... or as like me as this new body would allow.

"Did..." I swallowed, not able to look at her. "I really... did die, didn't I?"

The bond was evidently secured or refreshed now, because I felt the wave of anguish emanate from her with perfect clarity. She didn't respond with words, instead shifting her body closer, a hand wrapping around my waist while her head moved towards mine.

The kiss was fevered and almost desperate, and I felt her tears start to fall before she broke away to bury her face in my neck. It was awkward to try and hold onto her, with me laying out on a thin bench and her half on top of me, but that didn't stop me from wrapping my arms around her as gently as I could.

I don't know how long we just stayed like that. An hour at least, maybe two. I started to fall apart as my own reality crashed in. The bond had still been there, though rough and in need of reinforcement. I was still _me_ , despite whatever had happened, and more importantly, Liara still loved me. Had waited for me. Had fought to bring me back.

Eventually we both recovered enough, cleaning our faces and murmuring soft apologies and assurances that we were both still beautiful. Most of that came from me, I'd felt Liara's fear over the changes that had been wrought to her body. Her own murmurs reflected my own fears, telling me that I hadn't squeezed too hard, that I hadn't hurt her with my artificial strength.

Liara might have been hurt, damaged, broken... time might have passed, and she might have changed... but inside, she was still the woman I'd fallen in love with.

Not even death could change that.

"All right." I murmured as we settled onto the ground beside one another, our backs to the lockers as we leaned into one another. After a moment, I felt the fingers of one her hands entwining with my own, the soft warmth as perfect as ever. "Where do we go from here?"

 _Together_. The slow pulse of emotion and feeling wasn't actually a word, but I understood it all the same.

"Obviously." I smiled a little, "I meant a little more practically."

"I know." She replied, her lips curling a little as well, "I believe our next stop is going to be Omega, Joker and Doctor Chakwas are there, along with Nikita. I think we should all sit down and make our plans once we arrive."

I nodded slightly. "Do you know my orders from Sparatus?"

"I do." Teeth appeared as she bit her lip, an old habit that I was glad she still did. It was adorable, though the cuteness didn't cover the pang I felt. I hadn't honestly expected her know to my confidential orders from a Councilor, and I buried the worry before she could feel it. "It certainly limits our options, since it makes us play by Lawson's game."

"Yeah." I exhaled. "What do you know about her?"

"More than I would like." There was a soft sigh as she shook her head, "Suffice to say that her history will enrage you, and that there is a reason for the name that the Blades call her."

Frankenstein, she meant. I'd heard them bantering the name about, though I hadn't been sure who it had applied to. "Can we trust her?"

Liara hesitated, glancing at the floor as she visibly considered the answer. "We can trust her to act in accordance to the manifesto that she released when her rebellion began."

That drew another grimace to my face. I'd read the thing, and I didn't care much for the implications and accusations that she had thrown around. I could appreciate the abstract goal, protecting humanity and ensuring that we were viewed as equals, but the rest struck me as nothing more than a softened up version of the same old Cerberus. How long that veneer of morality would last I didn't know, but I definitely wouldn't make any long-term bets on it.

My bondmate sucked in a slow breath, squeezing my fingers gently, "For now though, I think it's best if we track down Kasumi and Garrus, and help them... oh."

She'd evidently felt the rush of anger at the Turian's name. "He's here?"

"Yes... no, Kaya. No." I winced as she hauled me right back down as I tried to stand up. I throttled down the urge to struggle, knowing that I would only hurt her with my continued lack of adjustment to my body, and instead found my ass landing in her lap as she wrapped both arms around my waist. "You can't kill him."

"I wasn't going to kill him." I growled back, turning so that our noses brushed as we talked. "I was just going to rip an arm off and beat him with it. He can get it replaced."

There was an almost fond sigh to go with a wave of mixed affection and exasperation. "Your old self is showing, love."

I felt something twitch in my cheek as I recognized the truth, but since I didn't want to face that I kept pushing. "He deserves a beating. Worse than a beating."

"Nikita has given him several," She countered quietly. "And he took them without complaint. He knows he's made mistakes Shepard, please, just let it wait a while. Until you're in private at least."

My mouth opened, but the girlish voice that spoke wasn't mine.

"Yes, please do." Chi scoffed as I all but leaped out of Liara's lap, whipping my head around. The Quarian was leaning against the wall near the still closed door, and I had no idea how we'd missed her entering. "Last thing we need is that asshole making as much of a scene as you two just were."

Liara growled, actually _growled_ , as she stood up. "I see politeness is as lost on you as ever. How long have you been observing?"

Chi rolled her eyes, her mask catching the light as she did. "Long enough to make my stomach turn. We're preparing to head to Omega, so get your shit together and report to the shuttles on the hour. An escort will be waiting and your usual cabins assigned."

"I trust," My lover kept speaking before I could, and I found myself surprised by the rigid anger in her voice, and the utter dislike rolling through her aura. I had thought that I didn't like Chi, but my Liara evidently put my dislike to shame. "That someone stable will be said escort?"

The Quarian's posture shifted. It was a subtle little thing, her weight adjusting as her fingers curled and then relaxed, something a civilian wouldn't have even noticed. "What are you imply-"

"Hey." A new, deep voice cut in as two more people entered the small room. One was another Blade, the giant Asari... T'Donna I thought her name was. Behind her, looking positively average compared to her towering frame, was Garrus, who was clearly not looking anywhere near me... though considering that his sharp eyes had locked onto Chi with one hand on his pistol, I supposed that I could forgive him. "Everyone calm your bloody waves."

Chi's gleaming eyes narrowed, then there was an irritated sniff before she flicked the fingers of her right hand. A moment later her body seemed to shimmer and then vanish behind a tactical cloak, though I could see the subtle ripples as she stalked past them and out of the room.

I rolled my eyes at the melodrama. Seriously... this was her goddamned base, what the fuck was the point of cloaking?

Liara glared at the space she had just occupied, a surprisingly dark expression on her features before she turned to T'Donna. "Illyan. I will not be held responsible if she continues to invade our privacy."

The Blade sighed, her features well balanced now that I had a better look at her, though the exhaustion tempered that more than a little. She didn't look as exhausted as Liara, but she definitely looked to be in dire need of a shower and a small coma. "Seriously T'Soni, you've got Kasumi bloody Goto running around; you don't get to bitch about invasions of privacy."

Garrus snorted quietly, "Kasumi doesn't hate everything with a pulse, and you've never explained just why no one has shot her yet."

"Look," Illyan T'Donna, apparently, sighed as a hand rose to rub at her forehead. "Just... she's been edgy since Cronos, just try and avoid her until she calms down."

I grunted quietly, "You mean since she disobeyed orders to join the fighting. What happened to her for that?"

"None of your business." The Asari replied flatly. "Now, are you four coming with us or taking your ship?"

I glanced at Liara in time to see her sigh. "We departed Antiva in a rush and were unable to take the proper precautions. Traveling aboard the _Reliant_ is likely a safer option for all parties... provided that Chi maintains-"

"I get it, I'll talk to her." I narrowed my eyes at the interruption, but the broad woman was already turning away and taking long strides away. "Shuttle bay five, forty minutes."

We all watched her go, and I felt my eyes narrowing a little. "I don't remember her being that rude."

Garrus made an irritable little sound. "She's normally the most polite of the people they send to work with us, but she can be just as bitchy as the others on her bad days. Good to see you Shep."

"Garrus." I replied, feeling a slow pulse of caution and hope from Liara as I took several steps towards him. He didn't look as bad as Liara, but then Turians didn't show it like most other species did. I could still see the nerves in his stance as he brought himself up, clearly expecting me to replicate what Liara had seen Nikita do to him.

I stared at him for several long seconds, then sighed. Liara was right... a hero would forgive him, would know that he would be doing everything he could to make it up to her. To us.

I still slapped the idiot, but not nearly as hard as I really wanted to. "You're a damned moron Vakarian... but you're still our damned moron. We're going to talk as soon as we can find some privacy."

He blinked a few times, not have even moved from the gentle blow. "That's... not going to be easy on Omega, but I know a few places. Shep-"

"Garrus." His jaw clicked shut as I glared at him, "After our talk, we're going to find a nice sparring ring where we can work out our issues with each other's viewpoints, again, because clearly you didn't get the message the last time I bounced you around the Normandy's cargo bay."

Something like his old spark appeared as his mandibles fluttered, "I don't remember it going quite that way. In fact I was pretty sure that Ash saved you from a well deserved beating after I kicked you into the Mako."

A heavy sigh came from Liara as she groaned, her eyes casting themselves towards the ceiling as though she was asking God or Athame for answers. The familiar expression finally brought out a genuine laugh from me, and a quiet chuckle from Garrus. She often did something similar when dealing with the pair of us, not quite understanding the relationship I had with him even with our bond to help her.

Then again I didn't really understand it either, so I supposed I could forgive her.

"Right." I made a small motion with my hand, feeling a bit of comfort returning when both of my friends quickly fell in beside me. "Let's go find hangar five. For now I want a full debrief on who we're going to be working with."

The meld had given me Liara's impressions and a few general ideas, but a lot of the details were already slipping away. Further, she hadn't exactly intended it as that kind of meld, and so hadn't been focusing on passing on information.

"Which would you like to begin with," Liara asked, silent pleasure at simply being next to me practically radiating from her worn body. "Cerberus or the Blades?"

Considering I hardly wanted to discuss the mercenaries right in front of them... "Cerberus."

She nodded as we left the small room, taking a left turn and following the signs mounted in the ceiling. The data began to flow out from there, in her familiarly precise style. It reassured me, in a strange way, the same kind of briefing she might have given after reading over mission notes for me just a few weeks... a few years ago.

Cerberus was apparently pretty battered, but still very dangerous even divided in two.

Lawson had apparently absconded with not one but two artificial intelligences, along with an oversized version of the Normandy that was being repaired on Omega. Further, she had the support of at least one, maybe two cells on Earth, giving her access to a lot of cash and information. The money was important for us, as much as it seemed to pain both Liara and Garrus to admit that.

The thankful trade off was that she had very limited manpower, with fewer than thirty combat agents probably still alive, and she was likely to be entirely reliant on myself and Kean to provide the muscle moving forwards.

Garrus had laughed when I'd brought up the Council's fears that Cerberus would try and create some kind of separate human nation in the Traverse, or at least use them as some kind of spring-board for something larger. Lawson, as he informed me, was a realist. She wasn't interested in trying to create a nation that would simply be obliterated by the Citadel or by Omega.

"Don't get me wrong." He shook is head as he sat down outside of our destination, the hallways quiet thanks to the fairly early hour. "She's a serious piece of work, but she seems to earnestly believe in what she says."

I pursed my lips a little, wondering if I could use that. Possibly, zealots tended to see what they believed rather than the other way around, but their description of her made her sound too intelligent to be easily manipulated. "What can you tell me about her personally?"

Liara sighed as she sat beside Garrus, her hands in her lap. "That she is extremely dangerous. She has a sizable biotic talent to go with nearly Matriarch level control. My observations, and those of my father's other agents, are that there is next to no waste energy in her manipulations. Physically she is also far beyond human norms."

"Really?" I frowned, "How strong?"

Garrus twitched his mandibles, "She could have taken you before your... uh... changes."

My love groaned a little as I fought not to flinch, and glared at him severely enough to make him duck his head. "What Garrus is trying to say is that her reflexes and strength are both decidedly above the norms for even a human male of her size. A few records recovered from Henry Lawson's offices on Earth indicate that she has an eidetic memory, will likely live to reach her third century, requires less sleep, and can recover far more quickly from injuries than a normal human."

The frown became a grimace. "She have any weaknesses at all?"

"Many." Liara spread her hands apart, "Part of what was done to her rendered her sterile, something she has evidently done heavy research into trying to reverse. Personally, she comes across as very arrogant and proud, but Broker analysts say that this is likely just a cover for deep insecurities. All of her practical command experience are in small unit or stealth actions, and she is very defensive concerning Cerberus' goals and ideals."

"Right now," Garrus spoke up again, evidently hoping to remove his foot from his mouth. "She and Kean are getting along, but I doubt that will last. Their viewpoints are too opposed, and that division might be something we can use. Not sure for what, but worth watching for."

I nodded, turning a little to start pacing back and forth in the hallway. Kean didn't strike me as the kind of person who gave a crap about his own species, and that would definitely grate on Lawson if what they were saying was even partially accurate. Splitting them up might be good... or bad, depending on what the real threats turned out to be. "So she has no real experience in larger campaigns?"

Liara shook her head, "Not that I am aware of, and you have far more experience even in the commando style operations than she. Especially when it comes to the background affairs of logistics, team building, morale that kind of thing."

Making a small noise, I nodded to that. "You're saying that she's used to being given a team that's already loyal and committed... an all-human team with no real personality issues."

"Essentially." She nodded in return. "She is very good in those situations, but I don't believe her personality is conducive for the kind of team she wants to build."

My metaphorical ears perked up at that. "They've been light on the details for that."

Liara sighed and rolled her eyes, "Of course they have. Their initial targets are a pair of rather infamous agents; Doctor Mordin Solus, former STG, and Doctor Ganar Okeeer, a Krogan warlord."

"Seriously?" I resisted the urge to either laugh or groan. "A Salarian and a Krogan doctor, that sounds more like a bad joke."

Garrus grimaced. "Keeping them from killing each other is probably going to be your job Shepard. Solus is on Omega, helped patch me up after the invasion, might be one of the few good souls on that forsaken place. Okeer though... he's a sire-fucking piece of work. He's the one who was churning out those enhanced Krogan during the war, went to ground after."

I glanced between them, "What good would he be for us?"

There was a small shrug from my love, "He is rumored to have had contact with the Collectors, and might be able to provide intel. Further he is an extremely deadly combatant in his own right, and if he has more of his... berserkers available, that would give us a significant edge when it comes time to take the fight to them."

An army of genetically enhanced Krogan probably would be a handy thing to have around, assuming we could trust them. "Trustworthy?"

She sighed, "Unknown. He has only ever shown interest in his various projects, and appears to care little for events beyond that. Even Ganar's war seemed to be little more than an opportunity to test out his creations."

Our Turian friend grimaced, "He's got a dark reputation, even in the Terminus. If I'd had the chance I'd have gone after him a long time ago."

Lovely. "Where is he?"

"Supposedly he's hiding out near the Dark Rim, on Kattachak." He shook his head, "Hellhole jungle planet, to put it mildly."

Even lovelier. "I'm assuming Lawson and Kean plan on picking up Solus while we're on Omega, then moving after him?"

Liara pursed her lips. "They plan on you picking up Solus while Lawson evaluates how much it will take to repair her ship, while Kean assembles the other two warlords that Aria assigned to assist in fighting the Collectors. I believe it is supposed to foster some degree of trust and assurance that they don't seek to control you. After that there will be some kind of strategy meeting to plan out the mission to recruit Okeer and how to counter future attacks."

I found myself frowning. "Whose plan was that? Lawson's?"

Garrus shook his head. "Chambers I think. Part of some grand plan to keep you comfortable."

My frown deepened. "What can you tell me about her?"

To my surprise, they both actually winced, though it was Liara who spoke. "Officially she's the only surviving psychological analyst from Cerberus' core support cell. She possesses a doctorate in human and xeno psychology from a Terran university named Yale, and is considered one of humanity's better observers of alien behavior. "

"And unofficially?" I asked.

Garrus's jaw worked a little, "I trust her even less than I trust Kean or Lawson. There's just something... _off_ about her."

Liara sighed quietly, "It does not help that she appears to get on well with Kean, or at the very least has a much better idea of how to approach and deal with him than we do. Although speaking of her, Kasumi? Were you able to discover anything?"

I blinked, then tried to leap out of my fake skin when a cheerful woman spoke from _right fucking behind me_. "Sorry Liara-kun, just her usual masks."

Spinning around as my heart hammered in my chest, I found myself staring at the tiny little Japanese woman as she grinned back up at me. No, she wasn't grinning, she was definitely _smirking_ , clearly reveling in the reaction I'd given her. "God fucking... don't do that!"

"Don't be such a baby." She replied cheerfully, tugging the thin material of her mask back over her delicate features. "Thought you should know, your old friend is on the way. Think she's our escort."

"Jack?" I asked, feeling myself relax a little, then found myself frowning when I felt Liara's apprehension. "Love?"

Her eyes narrowed a little as she let out a breath, "Jacqueline is... not the same person as she was when we broke apart."

I blinked a few more times. "I know, I spoke with her on the ship. She gave me a good bit of intel, helped me deal with... everything when I got on their ship."

Liara exhaled softly. "That is relieving, in its own way, but she isn't someone we should trust anymore."

A worrying feeling pooled in my gut. I mean, I knew that Jack had changed a little, maybe reverted to some old habits even as she finally picked up some discipline, but to say we shouldn't trust her? "Liara..."

"Kaya." Her head shook almost tiredly. "She is sleeping with Erana T'Donna, the younger sister of Illyan and Kean's surrogate daughter. Further she is very close to Chi, and the pair of them are often sent out to deal with slavers or others attempting to breach Illium Minor."

My mouth was opening to ask what the hell was wrong with killing slavers when Garrus provided the answer, "Shep, you know what Chi is like. They don't kill those people clean, or fast. It gets messy."

...dammit Jacqueline, what the hell had you gotten yourself into? I reached up and rubbed at my forehead, trying to quell the spike of anger that had risen. First Garrus, now Jack... it seemed like everyone that I tried to teach decency and nobility to ended up falling even faster than if I hadn't bothered at all.

But Garrus was trying to come back, I reminded myself, that meant Jack could as well.

* * *

 _ _ **Next up is Operation II: Press Ganged**__

 _ _And here we have our last interlude before we move on to the next operation. The original plan was for this to take place on Omega, hence the name, but it seemed more appropriate to save that for the next chapter. As it was, the title still works given what our heroes think they're involved in.__

 _ _The next operation will cover the first real conferences between our new big three (Cieran, Miranda, and Shepard), along with the recruitment missions to pick up Mordin and Okeer as indicated in this one.__

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat


	11. Operation: Press Ganged I

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation II: Press Ganged**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Date_ : 08-11-2186

 _Location_ : Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

The sad thing about coming back to Omega was that it was starting to feel like coming home. I found that notion objectionable on nearly every level, despite the effort I and the others had put into our enclave, and tried to throttle the urge to relax as we stepped out of the _Reliant_ 's main airlock and onto the station proper.

Of course, the welcoming crew probably helped with that feeling.

Ayle, Trena, and Ghai were all waiting for us just outside of the hangar, with what looked like a full company spread out to keep the crowds at bay. The latter was probably a good thing considering how overcrowded Illium Minor had become, and how many people were already starting to swarm to see the returning _Reliant_. The ship was well known as our fleet flagship at this point, and her crew was also well known as being the best paid, so whenever she made port there was more than just the usual rush of families and lovers.

"Cieran." Ayle greeted me warmly, the pair of us exchanging polite bows. Like me she wore a plain uniform supplemented with an armored long-coat, the only markings on the former her rank insignia. "Good to see you alive and unharmed."

I snorted, not having any trouble translating. "I would have hated to inconvenience you by dying. Hey Scales, Ghai. How's Ethy?"

Trena snorted, "Either keeping Erana awake, or keeping that poor bitch Korolev swimming in circles."

Behind me I could imagine Shepard perking up at the name, while I merely shook my head, "You roped her into babysitting?"

"Volunteered." Ghai rasped, walking away from the other two. Her arms snapped around me in a hug before I could try to evade, voice lowering. "You are overdue."

"Sorry." I replied quietly, "Been occupied."

"No excuse." She replied sharply, her eyes narrowing as we separated. "Tonight."

I could only sigh and nod, then turn to regard everyone behind us. My team were off to one side, patiently waiting for me to finish so they could greet their friends as well, while Shepard and her team were standing near Chek's team. T'Soni and Vakarian looked bored, Shepard looked like she was trying to take everything in as stoically as possible, and Kasumi was... already gone. Typical. There was probably going to be a spate of robberies by the end of the shift, or else Shepard was just going to know everything there was to know about our operations.

Still, it was Kasumi, so I hadn't really expected any different. And it wasn't as if we really had anything to hide in either case.

Lawson and Chambers were already moving out, along with the surviving members of their team, escorted by Terro's Lancers. The psychologist was fussing over the wounded Frankenstein as they moved, likely headed for the next hangar over. They at least didn't have much to do at this point besides recover and try and get their new organization off the ground, something that would probably consume most of their time.

I wouldn't have minded except for the fact that that left me to deal with Shepard.

"Kean." Said person spoke, walking confidently forwards. T'Soni had at least brought her clothes that fit, a dark black hoodie with matching pants and boots, so she looked less like a vagabond and more like a tired, wary version of herself. "Introductions?"

I grunted. I was sure she knew who all three of them were, but I ran through their names anyway. She nodded to each, as if committing their faces to memory, though I didn't miss the way her eyes narrowed a little at Ayle's towering frame.

"Ayle," I glanced at the woman in question, "You know where Korolev and the others are?"

She nodded slightly, "Your command center, waiting for you all. I had Erana set aside a few suites for our... guests as well."

"Thank you." I replied quietly, considering everything that needed to get done now that we were back. The list was far long than I liked, especially the amount of things that preceded the 'drink until we pass out' line. "Chek! Your team can escort the Commander to our place, make sure they get to their suite and can call for food and crap. I'll be there in... call it an hour, maybe two."

Shepard narrowed her eyes at little as the Lancers in question started to move forwards, "When is our conference with Lawson going to be?"

Mental math flicked by in my head. Two hours to talk with Ayle and Trena about what had happened, get briefed on our general status, some extra time to get back to my own suite with Voya and get some food and rest... "Next shift."

She merely blinked, and I sighed when I realized that she probably had never even heard of Omega time. "Six hours, give or take."

"Ah." She quite clearly wanted to ask why I hadn't just said that in the first place, but managed to restrain the urge. "I suppose that's enough time to regroup with everyone."

"You'll have plenty of time later." I replied blithely, already turning away, not seeing the point in wasting any more words. "Ayle?"

My friend nodded, and our little groups separated. Ayle fell in on my left, Voya on my right, with everyone else trailing behind as conversation began. Trena quickly began to interrogate Illyan to make sure I hadn't done anything overly stupid, while Shyeel and Ghai seemed content to walk in silence.

Thankfully our new command center wasn't that long of a walk, having been built beside our docks for that very reason. While it was technically the headquarters for the entire organization, in reality it was where Ayle ran the Omega detachment and where Joa had what support staff she needed to run the fleet. I hadn't bothered to move out of our old facility, and Ven hadn't had the chance yet. It was a far more grim building than the old casino I worked out of, looking far more militant with its hard edges and straight lines. Despite being a good six stories tall, it still seemed almost squat and bunker like, and honestly I didn't care much for the aesthetic.

Two suits of power armor bowed as best as the awkward things could when we arrived, the regular guards offering quick nods of respect as we entered. I couldn't help but sigh a little as the men and women remained extremely focused on watching the crowd. Ayle had much firmer ideas about military style discipline than I did, it was one of the few things we really disagreed about.

The Batarian woman lead us past the internal guard posts and choke-points, then down another short hallway into a small amphitheater style room that was more in line with what I preferred. Plenty of comfortable chairs arranged in tiers, all facing a large display table with smaller chairs arranged around it.

There was more than enough of the latter for us to all sit up front, and we got ourselves settled relatively quickly. Catching Ayle, Trena, and Ghai up on everything that had happened didn't take long, given that they already knew most of it from our messages.

"About the only good news we have is from Idia." Ayle sighed, one strong hand drumming on the table's surface. "Salvage operations are proceeding well, and it is likely we can replace our lost ships with Cerberus vessels. That or we can simply sell that scrap to die Waffe and purchase local designs."

I stroked the braids hanging from my goatee, considering that. "Cruisers?"

"Two."

A grunt. "We'll keep those and fix them up, sell off anything else to whomever will pay the most."

She nodded slightly, "That was my plan as it was, glad you agree. In the long term, say eight to ten months, Ven's projections have us at a thirty percent gain in terms of fleet size. That's our numbers from before the battle, includes our salvage, and our contract to purchase at least two old cruisers from the Lady."

Mental math put us at about forty, forty-one ships in that case... heavier ships, mostly, than we'd gone into Cronos with. In terms of absolute equipment that was a good thing, but we'd lost a lot of experienced people who wouldn't be easy to replace. Nor did that projection include any more losses we might suffer fighting the Collectors and their Geth puppets.

Trena groaned. "I hate that fucking expression ape. We're going to get out of this shit, just like we've gotten through everything else. What's the plan?"

"Right now it's to relax, refit, and try and get our heads together." I spread my hands a bit as I leaned back in my chair. "We've been running with all our sails stretched taut for nearly three months with this Cerberus crap; our people are tired and need a goddess damned break."

There was a sigh from Illyan. "That's going to piss at least one of them off. Probably Shepard."

"Yeah." I exhaled, rolling a shoulder. "Lawson should understand, can't imagine her people aren't any less stressed right now. If Shepard doesn't like that we won't be involved in this phase, that's her own problem."

Ayle's lips twitched a little. "What is this phase?"

Another shrug from me. "Mostly her building her suicide squad. I don't really see a reason to get involved, not when Lawson will be hovering over her the whole time."

That drew a pleased sound from Trena. "I can get behind that plan."

Her bondmate, however, was frowning slightly, and her raspy voice came out next, "Colonies? Progress?"

Everyone glanced at me, and I found myself sighing. "Freedom's Progress is on their own, unless Lawson can give them any assistance. It isn't as if they'd let us land after our last visit, and quite frankly we aren't in any shape for a fight."

Shyeel hummed, "And if nothing else, letting Shepard see a colony go dark will motivate her. Of course, that leaves the problem that Aethyta knows what you do, and so might T'Soni."

"True." I sighed, "But I don't think T'Soni does. She and Shepard would have already been throwing fits about getting there and protecting them. I don't think that Aethyta has enough of a conscience left to really care about sacrificing a human colony, and she knows our capabilities as much as we do."

Illyan made a face, and clearly wished she had a drink in her hand. My Harath'krem clearly didn't approve, but she knew the same facts that I did. The people of Freedom's Progress were the kind who thought Jack Harper walked on water, and our last mission there certainly complicated things. We'd have to invade them to protect them, and in either case our fleet wasn't in any shape for a brawl with the bugs.

"Better to wait near Horizon." I shook my head. "We still have a few allies there, and their defenses are solid."

Ayle nodded minutely. "How long do you think we have?"

I winced. "No idea."

"Of course." The Batarian woman sighed through her teeth, the whistle sharp and irritated. "We'll assume we don't have more than three months, and keep the fleet at Nagato. It's close enough to New Canton and Horizon to respond to either."

Which I'd already decided, but I didn't see any reason to point that out. "Works. Our regiments?"

Another sigh. "Mostly sitting on our existing contracts to keep the income flowing. The Sixth is being broken up slightly to occupy two of the colonies that have already been taken, I have already begun moving excess dependents to Novgorod."

I blinked a little, I hadn't really thought of moving into the now empty Human colonies, but I could see the benefits. The worlds were empty of people but still had their infrastructure intact, and were thus prime real estate. Further... we'd been discussing the problem of our dependents for a while now, and moving them to those worlds was an option I hadn't considered.

The Silver Blades were, after all, becoming a very large corporation, and many of our people had families. Families who could very quickly become targets or hostages if someone wanted to hurt us. Our bases on Xentha and Illium were large, but not nearly so large as to accommodate all of them, and Illium Minor was overcrowded to begin with. Worse, my insistence that we maintain the highest average salary of the major mercenary groups meant that we always had to keep an eye on our finances, so expanding either planetary facility was something we were hesitant about.

Especially since Sederis had started tithing us to help pay for the fortifications she was building across the Spinward Terminus, as a means to pay her back for her allowing us to recruit more heavily on her worlds.

On the other hand, all we would have to do on the Collector-hit worlds would be to clean things up a bit and kick out any scavengers who had tried to move in. Costs would be minimal, excepting those additional defenses that we would definitely start to throw up. Plus, said dependents could probably occupy themselves with whatever the locals had once been doing, farming or mining or whatever, which would at least keep them occupied.

"Which ones?" I asked.

She shrugged a little. "Novgorod and Attu."

Voya made a quiet, humming sound. "Both in the Rimward Traverse, nice and far from Council space, but close enough to each other that we can defend them well enough."

"I did not see the point of antagonizing those idiots." There was another shrug, "And we will be able to defend them properly once we have more warships. We'll be reliant on GTS defenses and ground troops until then."

I grunted. "You have just the Sixth on that right now?"

Ayle nodded, "The Seventh will be joining them as their training regimens complete. That leaves the First, Second, and Fifth to defend the enclave and act as a supporting force should you need them. The Third and Fourth will remain on their respective colonies."

Another nod came from me before we moved on to Ghai and Trena's Illium regiments. They'd managed to scrounge together two, both going through training to become cohesive units, but most of their time was mostly occupied working with the Eclipse. Apparently Trena's extended family, which I hadn't even known she'd had, was interested in working with us as well as with Sederis' organization. Right now they didn't have much to show for it, but apparently there was a standing offer for help creating an internal security force.

Which would be...useful, as much as I didn't want to admit it. It was a known secret that Aethyta had more than a few agents in our rank and file, as did Aria, and a way to get rid of both would be greatly appreciated.

I told them to use their best judgment before we turned back to Ayle, getting the update on Idas's twenty Xenthan regiments. Most had finished their rest and recovery, and were now heading out into the Terminus and Traverse to take on contracts to supplement our finances further. As many as six would end up on Black Spire, the heavy population world eager for the help in winning their war against Ghet's Retreat. The rest would probably end up working for the Lady Warlord in reserve roles.

"In other news," Trena growled, "We have word from that bitch on Khar'shan. She's up to five regiments and is 'making progress on improving local matters', whatever the fucking shit that's supposed to mean."

More growls, groans, sighs, and other expressions of irritation and annoyance came from everyone present. I shook my head tiredly, "She is free to expand as she likes, provided she maintains her preparations for the Reapers... which building up forces entails."

My old friend scowled. "And this local crap?"

Illyan's eyes rolled, "Either she's pregnant, managed to get some political power, or is up to something we're happier not knowing about."

"Probably." I sighed, trying not to think of my first love and what she might be doing. "In the meantime we need to expand our Lancer teams a bit more. Do we have recruits for that?"

Ayle nodded in time with Ghai, though the former motioned for the latter to speak. "One team each... You."

I fought the urge to sigh again, "When will they be here?"

A shoulder rolled as she shrugged, her rasping words coming slowly. "Already present."

Great. So now I had to come up with a training regimen for two more Lancer teams while also managing everything else that was going on. Well... at least that was something I knew how to handle. "Shyeel, great news, you've got something to do."

The branded Asari groaned, "Not again... Athame's ass, you're not going to give me Voya either."

"Nope." I replied cheerfully, turning my gaze to Illyan even as her expression turned sickly. "Illyan will be happy to help you. Dragoon Chek and Terro when and where you can, but the overall training will be something the two of you can handle."

"Asshole." Illyan grumbled, a broad hand rising to rub furiously at her face. "What in Athame's name do I know about training anyone?"

Shyeel sighed, reaching out to pat her arm, "As much as I did the first time. It sucks but we'll get through it, then beat the crap out of that idiot the moment he's not our boss."

Since I probably deserved it, I merely shrugged and moved on. "Any news from Aria?"

Ayle shook her head, "Nothing, either on you or on the Geth campaign, but I'm assuming we'll have a summons sooner rather than later now that you're back."

"Probably." I agreed tiredly. "I'd ask for the economic reports, but I don't want to imagine how many there are to go through."

A very genuine grimace covered her features as her body shifted to show disgust, "And you have no idea how glad I am that you have returned to deal with it all. It will be in your inbox."

Muttered curses brought quiet laughter from our friends as well all got up. Shyeel and Illyan elected to stay here for now, along with Ghai, to look over what she and Ayle had managed to put together for our new commando groups. That left me to stay in between Trena and Voya as we departed, heading for what passed as home these days.

"So." Scales grunted the moment we were outside. "How's the sex?"

My left arm caught Voya's shoulder on reflex, stopping her from stepping around me and knifing Trena in the back. "Scales... Athame's fucking azure."

The Asari grinned, utterly unrepentant. "Sorry ape, that never gets old."

Voya's growl indicated that she thought it had gotten more than merely old. "Keelah but I hate you."

"Feeling's mutual bitch." Trena replied blandly, "You at least keep the ape from doing anything stupid this time?"

There was as scoff, "Only partially. The idiot still insisted on boarding Firelance, but at least he took us with."

I found my eyes narrowing. " _You_ wanted to-fuck!"

Voya sniffed loudly as I stumbled, shaking my arm as best I could. She'd figured out just the right way to hit my funny bone whenever she wanted to, something that I didn't appreciate in the slightest. "I did not want to do that either."

Trena cackled even as I groaned, "Good to see some things haven't changed. You really haven't let him take you, have you?"

"That is none of your business," The Quarian replied primly, "Is your sex life so pathetic you must focus on ours?"

The laugh became a lower sound in a heartbeat, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Voya murmured almost airily, "If you think that I'm implying that Ghai isn't kneeling for you, I can only be amazed you're capable of inferring such."

Trena was silent for several long moments, "You stole that line from him."

"I did no such thing."

"Yes you fucking did, right ape?"

"Leave me out of this." I interjected instantly, self-preservation necessitating that I at least attempt to distance myself.

For once, they actually did. The pair glared at me, then at each other, and then resumed their familiar bickering almost at once. They kept it up, shifting from Trena's sex life, of which she was all too happy to provide details that Voya didn't need, towards the various other problems they had with one another. Mostly the fact that Trena enjoyed prying and needling, and how Voya enjoyed disguising retaliatory ambushes as 'alternative training routines'... and how she didn't have a very good grasp of the idea of mercy even when it came to her friends.

We arrived at my command center about fifteen minutes later, the guards far more in line with my preferred state of affairs. The guards gave me the proper bows of respect, then almost instantly relaxed and went back to people watching; still on guard but not obviously so. Likewise, the men and women at the reserve stations inside were sitting and relaxed rather than standing around as they had been at Ayle's.

The interior wasn't quite the hive of activity it had once been, but it was still busy enough. The regiments who were on station still ran their units from here rather than the main base, since we hadn't wanted to bother with the expense of moving all of the equipment over. We moved through the sparse crowd of officers quickly enough, reaching the bank of elevators.

Trena got off on the floor beneath us, heading to her suite to watch her daughter, to let Erana track down Jacqueline for a proper reunion.

That left Voya and I to head up to the top floor, exiting into the empty lounge usually occupied by the other Lancer teams. From here we walked through my office, where I entirely ignored the desk and work that I'd told Ayle I would be doing in favor of heading for the door in the back.

Voya's helmet was off by the time we crossed the office and entered our place, her hands pulling her hair out from her collar in irritable little motions. " _Keelah_ but I hate having to deal with new people, wearing this stupid thing. It's such a pain."

"I know." I replied, stepping behind her and gently pushing her hands away. She sighed as I slowly pulled the white, bristle-like strands free, making them rustle a little. "Better?"

"Much." She replied, her left arm waving vaguely as her fingers curled. The lights duly turned onto their dimmest setting, revealing the slightly dust covered but otherwise familiar shapes of our furniture. "...dammit."

I grunted quietly, stepping around her and pulling at my coat. "Feels like home to you too?"

"Yes." The word was an annoyed growl. "I don't care for it."

"Me either." Throwing my coat aside onto the table, and glowering at the puff of dust that came up, I wondered what the fuck had happened to the cleaning drone that was supposed to deal with that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Voya lick her lips slowly then quickly look away as she resumed working on removing her suit and armor. "...you messed with the drone before we left, didn't you?"

"It was not operating efficiently." She snapped back, "It is hardly my fault our campaign began before it was fixed."

It rather was, considering that date had been well known, but I knew better than to point that out. "Just try and put it back together come third shift."

There was a humming sound as she quietly accepted that, followed by the clatter of armor and pieces of her suit as she tossed them onto the table, revealing the bristle-like hair covering her body and the sweat-stained band that passed for a bra. She headed for the shower while I headed for the kitchen, my stomach having informed me it was past time for at least a snack.

I finished eating just as she finished showering, and we traded locations. Once I was clean, and she was fed, we spent a few minutes to at least clean up the couch before settling into it beside one another.

"How many reports are waiting for you?" Voya asked after a few minutes of just watching the traffic in the core above us.

Sighing, I brought up my omni-tool and linked it into our local network. The numbers in my inbox promptly updated to reflect reality, and I shut it back down in disgust. "Too fucking many. They can wait, Aria will be sending for us soon."

Wide, glowing eyes glanced at me, her hair rustling as she twitched her head back and forth. "What do you think she'll want?"

"Hopefully just a status update." I closed my eyes and sank back further into the couch. Feverish warmth approached as she shifted a little closer, not quite pressed into my side, but close enough that I knew she was right there. "But somehow I doubt it. Lawson and Shepard... they're both wild-cards that she isn't going to like."

Even without opening my eyes I could see her grimacing. "You think she's going to want observers with, some form of control over them."

"Not so much." I sighed. "I think she's going to want us to report on what they do, shadow their every movement, that kind of crap."

The couch shifted as she flinched. The rough plan we'd hacked out with Lawson had largely been to let Shepard go off and do her own thing with Lawson acting as her main partner. We would support them at Horizon, and if practicable, at the Collector base. If either New Canton or Nagato was attacked, a definite possibility, we would handle their defense on our own.

Of course, the damage to the SR-2 would probably necessitate a small change in that as it was. We'd probably have to loan them the use of the _Headsman_ , unless Aethyta had a suitable warship stashed away somewhere, at least until the new _Normandy_ could be repaired. We'd naturally have to send someone with to keep the peace and act as a liaison, and I'd already picked out Chek's team for the job.

He was more than polite enough, especially for a Krogan, and Jacqueline's presence on his team could help smooth things over. And if worse came to worse I was sure that Mirala had enough raw power to keep Shepard and T'Soni at bay.

"You," She spoke quietly, "Don't think she'll let us get away with having Chek watch them."

"I'm going to do my best to convince her." I replied, still keeping my eyes closed. "But no, I don't. The point of this thing is to deal with the Collectors, but I'm pretty sure a secondary goal is to get me killed in a way that's useful to her."

Her voice turned irritated. "And if it disrupts our organization a bit by having you absent, so much the better. I don't think she's forgiven you for walling off the enclave."

"No, she hasn't." It was less that she cared about the slavery debate one way or the other, and more that she needed the _Ha'diq_ I was feuding with more than she needed me.

I might have had a respectable little army, and once it was repaired, a fairly large fleet for a PMC... but I didn't have actual wealth, heavy industry, or much of a labor force. Worse, my political leanings ran more towards Sederis while my successor's ran towards the Lady T'Ravt, and we were both cultural icons as far as the local Batarians were concerned.

In the short term I was useful as an ablative shield, a disposable force capable enough of eliminating a threat that did need to be dealt with. But in the long term my weaknesses, and the possible danger of my political and cultural connections, meant I was an irritant best removed before our corporation could actually become a threat to her.

Her ideal solution would probably be for both Ayle and I to die fighting the Collectors, and then attempting to enforce some kind of split between our various branches. Something that would leave them intact enough to help in the coming war, but not organized enough to be a threat in the aftermath.

"We'll probably have to go with them on the _Headsman_ to pick up Okeer." I sighed, "Which will be annoying but not overly so. It'll just be you and I, Shyeel and Illyan can stay and train the new teams, and I doubt we'll bother going down to the surface. The problem is going to be what comes after."

"I am not going on that ship." Voya all but growled. "She would think we were under her command."

"Which she?"

"Either of those stuck up _keshin_."

I smiled a little. "Probably. We'll have to avoid that... but right now I just want to rest a bit, until whatever messenger boy she sends shows up."

There was a quiet, huffing sigh, then I felt her warmth pressing into my side as leaned into me a little. I slid an arm around her shoulders slowly, but made sure to not let it dangle over her chest, nothing that would make her feel entrapped. She stilled for a moment, then made a soft little sound as she forced herself to relax and rest her head on my shoulder.

We had about five minutes of peace before the apologetic call from guards downstairs, telling us that two of Aria's personal guard were here to escort me to their Queen.

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _Date_ : Seven hours later

 _Location_ : Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

Kean's office was not quite what I expected from Nikita's stories about the man, being quite clean and free of debris. Then I remembered that he hadn't actually been in here for several months and things made a little more sense.

I hadn't exactly been thrilled to find out that the conference between him, Lawson, and myself was to be restricted to just the three of us. Even knowing that Chi and Chambers wouldn't be present hadn't helped, I would much rather that Liara had been present for this conversation even if it had meant putting up with the other two.

Still, at least I'd been able to use the last few hours well, catching up with everyone else and laying our options out on the table... which had been easy, since there weren't all that many of them.

Thanks to Liara's, Nikita's, and Jacqueline's information, we knew that there wasn't any actual plan to create some kind of state out in the Traverse by either Cerberus or the Blades. The worst that the latter was doing was shuttling their dependents out to a pair of extremely remote colonies near the Dark Rim to keep them relatively safe from their rivals in the Terminus and from Matriarch T'Ravt's agents.

Well, the worst in terms of the Council's concerns.

Morally the Blades weren't as abhorrent as most other groups in the Terminus, but they were assuredly not anything close to 'good'. Beyond the fact that a sizable portion of their local income came from taxing drug sales and prostitution, they'd had standing orders to execute any Cerberus agents who attempted to surrender, and had even gone so far as to shoot down escape pods attempting to launch from Cerberus warships long after the fighting was complete.

Jacqueline hadn't seen the problem, even as Nikita had winced during the retelling. Apparently this wasn't exactly a new policy, the Blades holding a reputation for being an army that rarely bothered with prisoners. It wasn't something that had filled me with confidence, and Nikita's personal opinion of Kean as 'complicated' hadn't really helped.

If anything, the young woman seemed to like him personally after spending time with him... but she remained deeply afraid of the people he surrounded himself with. Similar talks with Chi had made her both pity the Quarian woman and become even more terrified of her, a combination I'd half-expected after Liara had given me the basics on the woman's history.

The fact that Kean was sleeping with her was something I had no idea how to take... or understand for that matter.

"You can both take a seat." Kean sighed as I entered behind Lawson, the Cerberus operative still a bit wan but looking far better than she had on Nagato. "Let me finish this stupid thing and we'll get started."

I shut the door even as Lawson made for the nearest seat, a battered looking Asari chair that was apparently surprisingly comfortable from the expression she made as she settled into place. Following her lead, I glanced at the wooden desk Kean sat behind, specifically the holographic display hovering above it.

A moment later I kicked myself for being an idiot, since not only was it backwards, but it was all in slashing Batarian runes that I couldn't even begin to read.

"A console?" I asked instead, taking my own seat... and being surprised at how it instantly seemed to conform to my body despite its almost broken appearance. "Not just a full haptic display?"

He rolled a shoulder, fingers flicking rapidly over the keys. "More reliable and cheaper... plus the desk came with it like this."

Lawson shook her head, muttering something about him being both cheap and lazy. I smothered an amused smile even as Kean rolled his eyes and closed whatever he was working on. She raised her voice as he leaned forwards, resting his hands together. "What news from Aria?"

He sighed, clearly not quite comfortable with how he was holding himself, quite clearly only doing it to appear less Batarian and put us at ease. "The good news is that she isn't going to kill any of us just yet."

My slight appreciation for his posture vanished almost at once. "She _what_?"

"It's Aria." His head shook even as Lawson groaned and rubbed a hand over her face, "She's not exactly thrilled to have a Spectre and Cerberus operating in her territory, much less on her station. Her tolerance will last until the Collectors are gone."

I frowned. "And after that?"

He shrugged again. "You'll need an exit strategy. Maybe a deal with T'Ravt to move through her territory to get back to Council space, or at least to the Traverse."

My mouth was opening again when Lawson spoke up, "It will be fine Shepard, that is partly why the SR-2 is critical to our plans. We can utilize the stealth drive to evade her ships after we return through the relay and return safely to the Traverse."

Swallowing my retort, I managed to turn it into a question. "Isn't it damaged?"

She winced. "Yes... according to the dockworkers and EDI, it will take at least two months to repair the damage. We will have to utilize one of your warships."

Kean flicked a hand, "Our window is going to be limited then. We're still performing salvage operations at Cronos and I can't exactly pull my only intact cruiser from that operation."

Lawson pursed her lips. "Time frame?"

"Three, maybe four weeks." The same hand rose to stop either of us from interrupting. "That gives Shepard more than enough time to pick up Solus and get used to her new body, you enough time to build up everything else, and gives my people enough time to take a bloody rest."

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the logic but not able to find much fault in it either. I still wasn't used to this new me, and I was tired of being paranoid that I was about to crush Liara whenever I hugged her. "And if the Collectors make a move?"

He sighed, "If they hit Nagato or New Canton, we'll do what we can to protect them. They hit anywhere else, best we can do is show up in the aftermath and try and get some intelligence. We'll keep a corvette here to take you in case that happens."

The fingers on my armrest tightened slightly. "That's it? One corvette?"

Kean glowered at me, "I just lost a third of my fucking navy, so don't bitch at me for having limited resources."

"Don't you have two other Warlords who are supposed to be supporting you?" I countered, "What about their ships?"

"They'll only assist if we _know_ when and where an attack will happen." He replied sharply, "We already tried one ambush and it went nowhere. That cost them a lot of currency and resources to move their fleets around for nothing, and they aren't going to let that happen again."

"And you can't pay them to assist?"

He gave me a look that told me he thought I was an idiot, his posture instantly returning to something stiff and Batarian with his head tilted to the right and lowered. "Ask her that."

"What Kean is trying to say," Lawson at least tried to sound diplomatic, "Is that the amount of hard currency required would only allow us to keep them in place for a very short period of time. Until we have some kind of predictive algorithm to determine when and where they might attack, we would simply be wasting resources."

That was at least a decent reason, "And we don't have anything like that?"

She waved a hand at Kean, "He did, unfortunately someone, likely either the Geth or Matriarch T'Ravt, were able to warn them about their predictably and the ambush he was planning."

"Leaving us stuck." He supplied, "We have recon satellites spread through the Traverse, specifically around human-dominant colonies. Problem is that even if we're alerted the moment an attack happens, even six hours is apparently too slow to catch them. So we're basically stuck protecting just those colonies with active relays."

My fingers curled a little before I made them relax, "That leaves a lot of people unprotected."

Another damned shrug. "Nothing to be done about it. If they are attacked we'll at least be able to use the data to rebuild the algorithm, maybe find additional evidence of their technological level if there are non-humans present who can put up a fight."

Lawson didn't quite face-palm, but her expression made it clear it was only through a herculean act of willpower. " _Kean_."

He gave her an irritated glance, "I'm not going to apologize for stating fucking reality. We don't have the resources or capability."

"You could at least state that tactfully, and remind her that we are trying to build up to such a level where we do have the capability." She sniped back. "Dammit, this is precisely what I feared would happen."

"It's fine." I interrupted. "I know he's an asshole, doesn't really surprise me."

Kean, the ass, didn't look bothered in the slightest, while Lawson looked like she entirely agreed with me. She ground her teeth for a moment, then turned and tilted her head towards me. "Given our current resources, the plan as he laid it out is likely our best initial avenue. If Matriarch Aethyta has anything she can contribute that would be appreciated."

"Nearly all of her people are occupied." I shook my head, telling them the truth. "Her shadow war has only grown more desperate since her incident with Cerberus. If anything I might need to take the time to assist her operations if that is possible."

"We can only hope that you will have such time." She replied calmly, "In the past, the Collectors typically had three to four weeks in between attacks, though there has not been any for several months now. We believe it is due to the losses their Geth allies suffered during their last engagements."

"Either that," Kean interjected, "Or because they've already taken out nearly all of the small, easily raided colonies. Most of the rest are much higher in population, or aren't entirely human. They may believe they need more preparation."

I nodded slowly, "So we should have small windows directly after their attack at the very least. Time we can use to recruit more agents and handle side matters."

"Precisely." Lawson nodded. "Speaking of such agents, I have a list of potentials to go over with you later. I have the basics now if you're interested?"

When I nodded in turn, she let out a short breath and then gave me the quick list. The first was an aging Drell assassin named Thane Krios, who was evidently attempting to find redemption before he passed on. Her second choice was Tali, which was something I could appreciate, though recruiting her would likely be difficult given the upcoming campaign against the Geth. Option three was a the only human in the group, a veteran mercenary named Zaeed Massani who was apparently legendary in certain circles for his ability to survive suicide missions. The only issue there was that no one was quite sure where he was, though Kean believed he might have been working for Cessa out in the Dark Rim.

There were a few other possibilities, a handful of alien mercenaries and assassins, a chance that we might be able to at least work with Ash, John, or Theodore depending on how things worked out. Kean looked absolutely thrilled at the mention of John, and I could well imagine how any reunion between the two would go... especially if Jacqueline was around.

Christ my reunion with him was going to be a mess, never-mind how Ash was going to take this. Or Anderson. Or... a lot of other people.

"That gives us a plan to move forwards," Lawson began when I agreed that those three candidates would do in addition to Solus and Okeer. "However, there remains the problems of command and coordination."

"That's putting it mildly." I replied, though I kept my tone even for now. "I'm not exactly motivated to take orders from either of you."

She nodded slightly, wordlessly conceding the lack of trust and faith. "What do you propose? We can hardly afford to be at each others throats and without centralized leadership we assuredly will be."

We would be anyway, but I wasn't as tactless to state that aloud.

Kean was. "We'll be arguing all the time as it is, so I don't really see the point."

Lawson scowled at him again. "The point is that obviously you aren't going to be issuing orders to either of us, nor are you going to be willing to take our own. This discussion is more between the Commander and myself."

His eyes rolled, his posture remaining stiff and unreadable. "My people and I will be willing to take orders during battle provided those orders actually make some degree of sense, provided you both are willing to do the same in the right situations."

I felt my eyes narrow, "What do you propose then?"

"Divided zones and situations." There was a very small Asari style shrug, "I or my people will be in command during an attack on a colony we're protecting. You're running the show during any recruitment operation and during the final attack. Lawson will be the captain of her ship and have final say while either of us are on board."

My lips twisted, "That's a mess of a compromise."

"Yeah. You have a better idea?" He countered.

I didn't, mostly because the ass was right. Lawson wouldn't be willing to give him, or me, authority over her ship and crew, especially with how few people she apparently had left. Kean, likewise, wouldn't be willing to give me the ability to order his regiments and warships around. And lastly, I wouldn't be willing to take orders from either of them except in battlefield situations where they would have a better idea for the overall battle than I did.

"Lawson?" I asked instead.

"It is an acceptable compromise in the short term." She exhaled, "We may need to revisit the topic should we have issues, but right now it will do. How will we proceed while we are on Omega?"

"You are our guests." He replied simply, as if that said everything.

When he didn't elaborate, and when Lawson looked as if that satisfied her, I resisted the urge to growl and asked, "Meaning what?"

Kean blinked, then gave another tiny, rolling shrug. "You're under our protection against any outside agents, and provided that you don't offer anyone violence, none will be offered in return. You'll have the run of our facilities excepting restricted areas."

How very quaint. "That Xenthan?"

"Yes." Lawson nodded slightly, "Part of their... unusual concept of honor."

I fought back a twitch. Xenthan 'honor' didn't have anything to do with actual honor, or decency for that matter. "Anything else?"

She shook her head slightly. "Nothing on my end. I do believe that the three of us should meet at least once per day, perhaps during fourth shift, to provide one another with status updates and plans. When do you believe you will pick up Doctor Solus?"

"Sooner rather than later." I replied, "Tomorrow or the day after, Garrus knows where his clinic is, should be a simple trip."

Kean's lips twitched. "I've heard that before. I don't have any issues with the meeting concept."

The Cerberus woman nodded, rising stiffly to her feet. More from pain than from her attitude I thought, and she gave Kean a slight nod, "Then I will return to the SR-2 to assist your dock manager in repairs. Commander? Would you care to walk with me?"

I would have loved to, there were more than a few questions that I had for her, but I also had to speak with Kean and the questions I had him took priority. "I need to speak with him first. I can come by first thing tomorrow if that works."

Lawson's lips twitched a little, "Tomorrow is three hours away Commander. I will send Miss T'Soni a request to setup a meeting for third shift."

I had no idea what that meant, and made a mental note to figure how what the hell the locals used to keep track of time. She nodded to me as I did, and we exchanged polite goodbyes before she left. Then I was alone with the mercenary, whose green eyes were frowning at me. I waited until the door had shut behind us before I lead with a statement rather than a question.

"So." I regarded him dispassionately. "You're dying."

There might have been a tiny flinch, but he hid it well. "I see Korolev felt like talking."

"Five years?"

"Best case." He replied. "Probably closer to three unless we can learn more about what that bitch did to us. I believe that my friends will throw me into a stasis pod after two, if we haven't found anything. T'Soni has similar intentions for Nikita."

She did, though I thought the time-frame was a little longer. "And the knowledge of your mortality hasn't inspired any kind of desire to be better?"

The look he gave me was pure scathing disdain. "If this is going to be some kind of morality debate, the door is behind your synthetic ass."

It was my turn to nearly flinch at the reminder that I was in a shiny new body, and I felt my voice lower as I changed the subject. "And the information in your head. Lawson doesn't know?"

"She only knows that I had information on Cerberus, and a few other organizations, that I should not have." Kean's head shook slightly, "I believe Aethyta is going to drip feed her the rest on a need-to-know basis."

"You don't intend to tell her?"

He rolled a shoulder. "I prefer not to be looked at as if I am insane."

I supposed I could understand that as well. It had taken quite a bit of evidence and knowledge that she couldn't have had before I'd begun to even slightly believe Nikita. And, as much as I didn't like being up front with my allies, I wasn't sure that I trusted Lawson with all of the information either. Not right now anyway... I'd give her a chance to earn that trust, to prove that her Cerberus wasn't the same as Harper's.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Kean's cool voice was sharp, even through the translator. "Or did you just want to tell me that you knew."

I wanted to see how he was taking the news, and if the knowledge had changed him at all. The slight movement in his face and his apparently shorter-than usual temper told me that he wasn't taking it as well as he wanted to present, but that it had also hadn't changed his personality all that much.

He had no interest in redemption, or at least, no interest in the word in the way that I understood it.

"Weapons. Armor." I supplied. "And a time and place where we can train once we get back from picking up Solus."

He made a quiet sound. "Our personal armory is on this floor, you'll have access. I think Lawson has armor for you on her ship but you can have your choice of our weapons. Send me a message when you determine when you want to train and I'll let you know what training fields are open. If you want something smaller the gym on the second floor is reserved for Lancers. Unless a team is using it, feel free. Anything else?"

I lifted an eyebrow. "Trying to get rid of me?"

"Yes." Kean informed me with his usual bluntness. "I have another hundred and thirty seven reports to read and I'd rather not be in an even worse mood when I get back to them."

Rolling my eyes, I pushed myself to my feet, "Then I suppose I'll leave. Armory open?"

"No. Code is A-One-One-Three-Eight-T-K-Zero-Zero." The holographic display in front of him flickered back to life as he evidently dismissed me from his attention, his eyes flicking left to right as he started reading.

"Kean." I replied, turning my back and starting for the door. He didn't bother responding, not that I really expected him to. Letting myself out of the office, I glanced around the empty lounge outside of it before finding another doorway that opened into a hallway.

Thankfully it didn't take me long to find the appropriate room, the word 'armory' being labeled in several different alphabets beside an armored door not more than five feet from the lounge. Easy to access for anyone inside, and nothing more than a quick sprint from where I assumed Kean's rooms were.

Punching the combination into the small display, I stepped through and found myself in the middle of a gun enthusiast's wet dream. Weapons were everywhere, arranged in neat stacks in some areas, in haphazard piles in others, and still more looked as if they were in the process of being manufactured. Even a glance revealed Turian, Human, Asari, and Batarian designs mixed in with custom designs.

I was so busy gawking that I missed the room's current occupant until a sound like long grass rustling reached my ears, and movement caught the corner of my vision. An unsuited Quarian regarded me from where she was sitting at a work bench, dressed in nothing more than a plain black shirt and matching shorts.

My initial instinct was to compare her to Tali, the only other Quarian I'd seen without their suit on. Though in Tali's case she'd been recovering from injuries and had been restricted to a bed in an isolation room.

Like Tali, Chi had wide, glowing eyes with slit pupils that were barely visible against the luminescence, and had a bit of gauntness to her features that emphasized her alien nature. The darker markings on her cheeks and forehead were in a different pattern, but familiar enough, as was the black, forked tongue that briefly appeared as she licked her lips.

Unlike Tali, her stiff, white hair was very long, done up in the same style as Kean's: two braids hanging down on either side of her face, the remainder tied back in a high ponytail. Very unlike Tali, she was apparently incredibly hirsute across there rest of her body as well, white hair covering everything but her face and daintily clawed hands. And if I didn't know any better, I'd have said she was wearing makeup... dark lipstick and something to accentuate the slight curve to her eyes.

She looked... _normal_ without the suit, the armor, the trophies... It was decidedly off-putting.

"Chi." I greeted her as politely as I could manage.

Her tongue appeared again, the two ends flicking over her bottom lip. "Shepard. What do you want?"

"Kean informed me that I could-"

"I _know_." She interrupted me irritably. "You wouldn't have gotten in here unless he sent you. What _weapons_ do you want?"

I stared at her, ground my teeth a little, then replied, "An assault rifle, pistol, and a combat knife. Unless you've got a Spectre-spec omni-tool around?"

"No." Chi shifted her head a back and forth in a slight motion that sent the strands of her pony-tail rustling again. "This way."

Frowning, I followed her at a slight distance, slowly noticing that there was some level of organization despite the apparent chaos around us. The area nearest to the door was filled with shotguns and sub-machine guns, the weapons that would have been most useful if someone tried to start a fight up here. Grenades followed, and then pistols.

"What do you want?"

"Have a Phalanx?" I asked, looking over the collection.

The Quarian grunted, bounced up onto a nearby desk in a single motion, then reached up and grabbed something off a high shelf. She inspected it for a moment before tossing it to me with no regard for weapon safety, and I caught the collapsed weapon gingerly.

"Mostly stock." She informed me as she hopped back down, "Armor piercing rounds as per our usual, but we haven't really messed with it."

I tripled checked that the safety was loaded, and then followed her as she stalked across to the other side of the room, a wide array of melee weapons in evidence.

"Alliance Mark Twenty, the omni-edge model." I provided before she could ask.

The Quarian rolled her eyes and openly sneered, " _Keelah_ , I don't hate you enough to give you a piece of shit like that. Shut up and let me think."

Blinking in surprise, I watched as she stared at me, flicking her eyes up and down my body a few times before frowning. "Hold out your right arm."

"There a point to this?" I asked as I did so, some of my irritation at both her and Kean's behavior seeping out.

Chi elected to ignore me entirely in favor of tilting her head, her overly large eyes narrowing as she regarded me once again. Then there was a slight nod before she turned around and hauled open a small storage locker. Muttered curses and rummaging preceded a quiet grunt of triumph, and then a sheathed blade was tossed at me.

I caught it with my free hand, frowning at it. It looked something like a moderately sized kukri, except a bit curvier. Awkwardly pulling an inch of it free from the sheath revealed delicate Asari markings and inlaid circuitry. "What's this?"

"Asari Wave Knife." She replied, already moving towards the back of the room. "Standard issue for Eclipse Night Whisperers."

It was a fight not to throw the stupid thing away at that, but... shit. Psychopath she might have been, but Chi probably knew her blades. If she thought this was one would work for me, I'd have to at least try it. Shoving it into my pocket, I followed her the rest of the way to see piles of assault and sniper rifles awaiting us. This area was slightly more cleaned up than the rest, weapons actually in racks and neatly laid out on tables rather than simply placed wherever there was room.

"Anything rapid fire." I wanted to make that at least clear. "I'm not a fan of those carbines I've seen your people using."

Her right shoulder twitched. "Have a preference?"

"Phaeston?"

A three fingered hand flicked to her left, following the motion showed at least three of the Turian rifles stacked next to one another. They all appeared to be identical, and when she didn't offer any commentary, I simply took the nearest and tucked it under my left arm while keeping the collapsed pistol in my right.

"Grenades?" She asked, her tone making it clear that she wanted the answer to be no so that I would leave her little sanctuary.

A vicious, childish part of me wanted to say yes, and then wanted to look around to see if there were any unusual weapons I could bring down for Liara and the others, and to take my sweet, sweet time about it. But... that me had died in New York, and I wasn't about to let her come back from the dead as well.

"No." I replied instead. "Thank your for the assistance."

Chi didn't deign reply to that, instead simply returning to her workbench without a word. I slowed my pace a little as I walked past her, looking to see what she was working on. An M-97 Viper was partially stripped down in front of her, what looked like a factory-new ammo shaver nearby.

Pursing my lips, I kept walking, then stopped near the door when she still hadn't said anything. "Why did you pick out the knife for me?"

Glowing eyes flicked towards me. "What?"

"You hate me, don't you?" I prodded, trying to get at least one answer out of her. Not one of my friends would admit to even mildly liking the Quarian, but she was evidently a key part of the Silver Blades... and Kean apparently loved her. That spoke to there being _something_ about her that made her acerbic nature worth tolerating, something about her worth caring about. "Why help?"

Her head tilted a little to one side, her tone making it clear that she was stating the obvious. "I find you to be incredibly irritating, and assisting you gets you away from me faster than if I'd left you to rummage around on your own."

So a cold, rational decision rather than an emotional one. That sounded more like something Kean would have deduced rather than her, going from Liara's opinion of the woman. "I annoy you?"

"Your Human _nobility_ and _honor_." She managed to make the words drip with contempt, _"_ You wear them like a fucking cloak, and yes, I find it annoying... though less than I did when you had the whining inbred princess trailing behind you."

My eyes narrowed as anger reared up. "Her name is Tali."

"I don't _care_ what her name is." Black lips twisted in a sneer, "Bitch and all of her kin can suck vacuum. You've got your toys, get out."

There was a small creaking sound, and I let out a heavy breath and forced myself to relax before I crushed the guns in my hands. Glaring at Chi, and seeing her glare right back at me, I needed more than a few seconds to throttle the urge to say something further.

Instead I simply twitched my head into something like a nod, forced myself to turn my back to her, and then left her to her work.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Press Ganged II**_

 _And here we have the initial setup for the next operation, the basic plan moving forwards, and our first little meeting between our three main actors. Next chapter will be a bit delayed, I'm going on vacation starting today and won't be back for a week._

 _For those interested, we have the start of a nice little discussion on the forums concerning Cieran and Shepard's relationship, and I'd like to see what other people think_.

 **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**

Thanks, Kat


	12. Operation: Press Ganged II

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Press Ganged**

* * *

 _ **Silent Witness**_

 _(Voya'chi vas Xentha)_

 _Date:_ 08-14-2186

 _Location:_ Gozu District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

When I had volunteered to go with Shyeel to shadow Shepard's team down to pick up Solus, this wasn't quite what I had expected.

Ancestor's be damned but it was _boring._

I glanced down at the Vorcha twitching and shuddering beneath my foot, its limbs weakly hitting at my legs in a final feeble effort to take me down with it. It was one of the annoying things about killing the creatures... even as death came for them, they didn't really fear it, and still sought to keep fighting, keep tearing.

Or maybe they were just too stupid to realize it was happening.

Still, this one had apparently been intelligent enough to hide on the rooftops, hiding from Omega at large, evading the culls that had all but exterminated the vermin in the wake of the war. If just for that I might have considered taking one of its teeth, but the damned thing had tried to attack me when I'd come across its little nest, instead of doing the smart thing and fleeing... So disappointing. A chase might have gotten me somewhat excited, and alleviated some of the boredom.

I waited until it finished expiring before stepping off of the corpse and walking to the edge of the building I was on top of. Three stories below, the firefight between Shepard's team and some local gang continued. It had shifted position somewhat, the Spectre's team having driven their opposition back a good block, but they were still moving more slowly than I would have expected considering the quality of the locals.

Goto appeared and vanished on a regular basis, competently darting around and causing merry chaos while T'Soni used her biotics to control the battlefield and keep the opposition neatly grouped up. Near her, Shepard and Vakarian were firing in even patterns as they steadily moved forwards. Behind them, Korolev trailed a little apart from the others, acting as their rear-guard.

It was all irritatingly slow and conservative; Shepard trying to get used to her new body, and the fact that her companions were far more capable than they had been two years ago.

Across the street, Shyeel looked to be as bored as I was, the Asari taking a step forwards before flashing across to appear beside me. I staggered a little from the bow shock of her charge and glowered at her through my helmet, "Seriously?"

"It's not like I hit you directly," She replied bemusedly, hands planting on armored hips. "Vorcha worth taking?"

"No." I muttered. "Smart enough to hide, but moronic enough to attack me with just its claws. Useless trash."

"I'm sorry." She at least managed to sound as if she meant that, "Look on the bright side, they're almost to the damned clinic."

True, but that didn't really improve my mood. I had a long shift of helping Cie go through paperwork to look forwards to, in addition to making sure that the idiot male remembered to eat. Shyeel, on the other hand, would be free to go relax and drink and...

"I hate you." The words came as a low growl, my back turning to her as I glared down at the mess below us. "How did you trick Terro into taking your place?"

"I stole one of Cie's rifles and gave it to him." She rolled a shoulder in a shrug, "Illyan is going to build him a replacement."

I snorted quietly, that had probably made his day. Terro had an unhealthy obsession with oversized rifles, particularly the kind of flash-forge models that Cieran enjoyed tinkering with. "Regretting that decision?"

Shyeel shrugged again, "This is hardly any more boring than training a new school of fish."

"Torturing them was always fun." I pointed out, cocking my head a little as Vakarian blew half the head off of a Turian, the screams of dismay from his friends not nearly as amusing as they had been twenty minutes ago. "Just admit that you wanted to interrogate me."

"Eh, won't deny it." It was easy to imagine the grin beneath her helmet, "Cieran is a stingy as ever about the details."

"And you think _I'll_ give you any?"

"Yeah, actually." Her tones became studiously neutral. "You owe me for what happened between us."

I winced, my tongue flicking over my lips as I firmly kept my gaze elsewhere. The memory of being flung out of bed and slamming into a wall after our one and only melding session escaped from the dark crevasse where I had hidden it, and I quickly shoved it back where it belonged. Now wasn't the time to bring _that_ confrontation up again... it was never pretty and usually ended up with us sparring rather violently to work out our respective feelings on the subject.

"I thought we weren't going to bring that up." I murmured.

"With anyone else, no." Armored feet moved across the decrepit roof, Shyeel joining me in watching as Shepard's team began to pick up some speed, the gang's morale clearly wavering as they started to realize how fucked they were. "I'm not doing this to pry the details of your sex life out of you, I'm asking to make sure that you two are actually _together_ and not just doing the same old shit and pretending to be involved."

"We're involved." I sighed, "It's _Cieran_ , of course we're actually involved."

She made a quiet grunting sound. "He patient with you?"

My right hand rose and shifted back and forth, "Not as patient about the proximity thing as you were, but he's even more patient about the whole sex issue."

There was an audible exhale, "That's a little surprising, figured it would be the other way around. Illyan said he had quite the appetite... dammit. The ass is terrified he's going to hurt you, isn't he?"

I shrugged, trying to distract myself by watching Goto pummel a Salarian who'd gotten cute and tried to flank the group. "Probably."

"And you like being worried over like that?" She pressed, clearly not about to end the conversation just because I wanted to. "You're hardly fragile."

"I was when we first met." I replied, my voice lowering a little. "He knew me when I was a mute little psychopath who didn't trust him, and who probably would have bolted if he _hadn't_ treated me like I was about to fall apart."

Shyeel sighed softly. "And you like being with someone who worries over you and doesn't push you."

I couldn't really deny that. His idiotic insistence that my life had been worse than his might have been annoying, but it was also reassuring in a strange way. He'd always ensure that my mental health was a priority, and do whatever he could to make sure that I was comfortable with whatever we were doing. That we were intimate once a month, _maybe_ , was proof enough of that... and I still hadn't actually let him penetrate me... or even used my mouth on him.

And he'd never once complained, or quietly asked Ayle or Illyan for a night of amusement, or even implied that he wanted anything more from me. Shyeel had been patient with me, in her own way, but she'd also been rather obvious about her hopes that she wouldn't have to be patient for much longer. Cieran, in contrast, didn't seem like he would ever request anything else even if we stayed together for yet another year and a half.

I shook my head sharply, dismissing the small pangs of emotion I could never quite place. Dwelling on my relationship with him always left me disconcerted for a variety of reasons, and now wasn't the time. "He pushes me, just not personally."

Shyeel tilted her head a little, then shook it as she accepted the note of finality I'd injected to my voice. "All right. Just let me know if you need me to hit the idiot over the head."

"I'm more than capable of hitting the idiot male if it is needed." I replied, nodding down at the street, "Making a last stand. Care to join in?"

"I'm still going to bother you in the future... but sure, might as well get this tides-be-damned crap over with." She snorted, but her hands were pulling her Kishok off of her back. "We going to be professional or you want to dive in?"

I was eager enough to be done with this that the former sounded better than the latter for once, but a small part of my HUD lit up with an incoming call before I could bring myself to say so.

" _Voya? Shy?"_ Cieran's voice echoed within my helmet as I accepted his call. " _Sitrep."_

"Nothing new." I reported, covering up the slight awkwardness from Shyeel's worrying with the boredom I'd felt before she'd jumped over. "Still fighting the local morons, still apparently working on their teamwork."

He hummed softly, but the tenor of the sound was off. He wasn't happy about something, and that never boded well. " _How long until they make the clinic?"_

"Ten or fifteen minutes, less if the local's morale breaks in the next couple of minutes." I frowned as I spoke, "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

" _No._ " He replied bluntly. " _The priest on that level just set off an alarm, two of his people saw a full platoon of Scarlet Tears on your level."_

Oh _Keelah._ My eyes narrowed as I stared at nothing, vaguely hearing Shyeel cursing beside me, both of us trying to piece together what this could be about.

That they were headed for Solus seemed obvious, there really wasn't anything else worth going after in Gozu. The district hadn't really improved since the war... since either war, really. Lady T'Ravt may have created a small enclave here, but much like Cie had, she'd walled it off and restricted access rather than bothering with anything else, and it would have taken a small army to breach her defenses.

Worse, the Tears were barely tolerated on Omega, and only _barely_ , while Aria had made it clear that Mordin Solus enjoyed her favor. If they were making a move against him in strength, it was because someone had promised them both a fortune and protection. Given the relative peace and current cooperation between the Greater Warlords, none of them would be involved, and the Tears wouldn't have been so stupid as to believe anyone lesser.

Which meant they'd been hired by someone outside of the Terminus... someone who wanted to interfere.

"Bitch can't resist fucking with us." I hissed the words as the familiar anger began to awaken. "Plan?"

" _Tell Shepard to stop dragging her goddess-damned feet."_ Cieran instructed, " _And then get to the clinic and warn Solus, something cut the line from his place to Afterlife. Ayle is dispatching a platoon but it will take time to get down that far."_

"On it." I hesitated, conscious of Shyeel's presence beside me. "Can I indulge myself?"

There was a long pause and then a soft sigh. _"Is Shyeel still with you?"_

"Of course."

Another long pause, and I could easily picture him frowning as the grass moved inside his skull. " _No. Find a spot to snipe from, don't close the range unless they do."_

My lips pulled back in irritation. "Cie-"

" _Voya."_ He cut me off, " _The Tears aren't a mindless pack of Vorcha. If they rush you, do what you like, but until then stay at range."_

Dammit. "Will update you."

Cutting the line before he could try and put any more restrictions on me, I glanced down to see the Spectre's team holding back as the gang finally broke, fleeing in every direction rather than trying to swarm over them. They'd put up a much better fight than I would have thought for locals, probably due to Shepard's slow engagement plan not making them quite realize what they were up against.

In either case, it was time to move.

Creating an open channel, I let my voice snap out, "Shepard, stop fucking crawling. Solus is about to be attacked."

Shepard's small figure started once, then I heard her curse as she flicked her omni-tool open, joining the channel. " _Details and confirmation?"_

"Scarlet Tears." I informed her shortly, stepping back from the edge, turning towards the clinic's direction. I'd given them their warning, if they were too obstinate to believe me I wasn't going to waste my time convincing them. Moving across the refuse covered roof, I nimbly leaped onto the next building in line, careful to watch my footing. Shyeel followed, her body flickering with biotic light as she easily kept pace. "One of our agents saw them moving in platoon strength on this level. We have one of our own en route."

 _"The Tears... not familiar with them, dangerous?"_

 _"Very."_ Vakarian grunted in the strange, chirping Turian fashion, somehow conveying that he understood the situation just as well as Cieran and I did with that single sound. That didn't surprise me as much as I wished that it had... As much as I didn't like the man, he wasn't an idiot, and he'd lived on this station longer than any of us. " _We'd better move Shep, Solus won't be able to keep them back by himself."_

I ignored them, slowing as I vaulted onto building number three. The area we'd been moving through had been one of the few areas in Gozu with an open space above the rooftops, and I only had a blank wall of metal in front of me, with only a very small slit above an alleyway. A quick searched let me find a battered old ladder on the side of the building, and we took it down to the refuse filled ground.

A pair of young looking Humans, a male and a female, both holding each other, both wearing the colors of the local gang, shrieked in surprise when I all but landed on top of them. The young woman reflexively brought a battered old pistol to point at me, only to yelp when her partner grabbed her wrist and hauled it back, his face utterly pale in terror as he stared at me... or rather, at the prominent pair of logos on my coat.

I hesitated for a single long moment, a wild part of me hoping they'd give me the excuse, then the rest of my brain shifted me back into motion as Shyeel kicked at my shoulders from where she was still holding onto the ladder. Leaving the idiots behind, I bounded out into the street, then cut left and got moving towards the clinic as she came down after me.

We followed the battered signs that Solus had put up, running into next to no locals in the process. They had probably secured themselves into their crumbling little homes when they'd heard the gang attack the Spectre team, sensibly making themselves scarce. I ignored the few who were still out, mostly those too drugged up to realize that hiding was more sensible than stumbling around, and instead focused on running through the most likely plan of attack.

They wouldn't come this way, not in strength. There was only a narrow stairwell, protected by turrets above and below, likely with mechs in place beyond the doors. Likely hidden explosives as well... no, not this way. They'd go for the main entrance, it opened into a courtyard from what I remembered, which would give them more room to maneuver and allow them to engage the defenses from longer ranges.

A quick glance at the camera in the back of my helmet revealed Shepard already sprinting in this direction... we didn't have to bother warning Solus then. Instead we could cut right before the clinic, and find a good position to involve ourselves from.

And if it was close enough to warrant a bit of knife work, so much the better.

Shyeel snorted as I ducked into the nearby apartment building, but didn't otherwise comment as we moved through the various hallways and up two flights of stairs before emerging onto a walkway above the courtyard on the other side of the clinic. It was a fairly open area beyond the clinic's doors, homes that looked slightly better than the average Gozu hovel surrounding the broad square.

"Where do you think?" Shyeel asked, her helmet shifting around.

"That house." I indicated, nodding towards a building. It was a three story affair, built a lot like Ironhold had been... it had probably been built in the same era of Turian dominion over the station, with a well armored balcony on the second floor ideally positioned to allow defenders to kill anyone trying to approach. Even better, there was a building just to its left with a roof ideally positioned to be jumped onto if we had to retreat.

Shyeel hesitated when I set off, clearly not sure about the choice, then shook her head and moved to follow. We quickly made our way down to the ground level, jogged over towards the house in question... and then slowed when we caught sight of the door's control panel, in particular the small indicator showing that the door was unlocked.

My pistol was out inside of a heartbeat, the smaller copy of Cieran's hand-cannon steady in my right hand while my left activated my omni-tool to run a scan.

"Up?" Shyeel asked softly, her own pistol ready as she covered me.

"No." I shook my head, "Breach."

She nodded, following me as I very carefully approached the door. Ignoring the control panel, and not at all relieved that my scan hadn't revealed anything, I shut the omni-tool off. Shyeel knelt down beside me, working her pack around so that she could pull out a pair of small shaped charges, setting them onto the door in fast, efficient movements.

Separating so that one of us was on either side of said door, we exchanged one nod, and then she blew the door into the home. I followed it with a stunner the moment I'd recovered from the muted flash, hurling it inside as several beings screamed out in surprise and shock. One flash of light later, the pair of us were inside, and several red-armored figures became visible as they tried to gather themselves.

Trusting Shyeel to handle the left, I focused on the two targets on my right. The nearest was a Batarian, helmet-less, and had fallen sideways from where he'd been sitting at a small table. I put a round through his upper left eye as I surged forwards, my own attention already snapping to the second target.

This one, a Turian, was fully armored, and had apparently been smart enough or wealthy enough to ensure his helmet could protect him from the flash-bang's effects. He didn't have the time to grab the rifle on his back, and knew it, instead pushing off and surging forwards in a blur of scarlet motion.

Stealing a move from Cieran's arsenal, I twitched left, then dove right, snap-firing two shots into his gut as I went. His barriers caught both rounds, I hadn't been close enough, but my abrupt reverse made his wild slashes miss entirely. My lips twisted in a grin as I stayed in motion, all but bouncing onto a nearby couch and leveling my pistol at his helmet's visor from less than a centimeter away.

The spray of blood and bones wasn't as elegant as it would have been without the damned armor, but it still made something thrum happily inside of me.

Regrettably, the other two Scarlet Tears were already down as well, Shyeel's attention focused on the stairwell near the rear of the apparent living room. "Recon team?"

"Probably." I replied, my voice betraying some of my excitement. This was _just_ what I needed to both relax and improve my day. "Might be more, upstairs."

In response, there was a quiet click from a hidden intercom, and then a bemused male spoke in Khellish, the almost swirling accent marking the speaker as Antivan. " _I'm afraid it's just me up here. Good to see you again Voya."_

Shyeel was too professional to turn and stare at me, instead keeping her gun on the stairwell. While she did that, I frowned, trying to place the voice. "Should I know you?"

" _Yes."_ The word was a growl, the amusement vanishing instantly. " _Xenthan she-bitch, you always were a conceited little kolsha."_

The tone of voice, and the crude insults, let me find the right memory, and my own voice lowered, "Reszad, you miserable little _keshin._ I thought someone would have ended you by now."

He scoffed. " _Better beasts than you tried and failed, but I don't have the time to cut your flat little tits off today. Get out and leave me to my prey."_

My entire body quivered at the insult, and I wanted to do nothing more than fly up those stairs and...

Dammit, I couldn't. He'd have protections in place, traps, explosives. I wouldn't get past the fifth or sixth step before getting killed. This would have to be handled cautiously, as much as the delay annoyed me. As much as I would rather have simply sliced him to ribbons right here, right now... dammit.

"Shyeel." Her name came out as a furious hiss, "We're leaving."

My companion turned slowly, visibly hesitating before I jerked my head sharply. She glanced up at the ceiling, shook her head, then turned to follow as I stormed out the front door. The moment I cleared the building I brought a hand up, signing for Shyeel to go to the right while my other activated my tactical cloak.

"All right." Shyeel asked across our comms as her own body faded from view, presumably following me as I headed back towards the stairwell we'd taken down from the small apartment complex. "Who the fuck is that?"

"Reszad'Sesh vas Antiva." I growled in reply, ignoring the sound of an alarm going off somewhere nearby. Shepard had convinced Solus then, just in time. Behind us, I could see the distinctive red armor appearing from side-streets as the main attacking force arrived. They were promptly met with the wall-mounted turrets positioned around the clinic, as well as from inside the clinic itself as the main doors opened enough to let the defenders engage from somewhere inside.

We were far enough to one side to not really be involved, especially as we continued to head towards the apartments. I watched in my rear camera as the Tears visibly stalled for a few moments, clearly unhappy to have not managed a sneak attack, but they reformed like the professionals they were. Maybe half of them promptly started breaking into other nearby homes, taking cover inside, while the remaining two dozen or so scattered across the courtyard and started throwing out suppressing fire.

"And..." She drawled the word, moving as carefully as I was to avoid disrupting the cloaking. "How do you two know each other?"

My upper lip twitched away from my teeth, "He thinks that he's a living ancestor when it comes to our profession, myself and another Xenthan took his attitude poorly. We stole three targets out from under his nose and humiliated him in front of his own Elder _._ "

"Ah." I could imagine her nodding sagely. "That explains the hostility. He's another taker?"

"Yes." The word came out as I reached the stairs, taking them slowly.

"Here for Solus?"

"Probably. He's famous, potentially lethal..." I bared my teeth at nothing in particular, "As well as being old and not nearly as dangerous as he once was. An ideal target for a wailing infant trying to build a legend."

She grunted. "Are you allowed to kill another Taker?"

"He's Antivan trash." I sneered. "And he isn't here on an official mission from the High Elder, or else I would have been told and probably involved. The worst that will happen is a quiet rebuke."

There was a few moments of silence as she processed that, then she spoke with an audible shrug, "Right. How are we going to handle this?"

"Aircar lot on top of the apartments." I replied. "Old school. He's not an idiot despite the attitude, he'll probably have already shifted out of that building, but he's a cowardly little _bosh'tet_."

"So he'll probably bolt when we level the building." The Asari snorted, "Sounds like a plan. Want me to tell Shepard?"

I shrugged. "Don't care."

Our cloaks failed as we reached the apartments proper, though none of the Scarlet Tears seemed to notice us. Not that they would have cared about two distant figures leaving the battle zone, but at least it made our departure simple enough. Especially since I was entirely sure that the idiots would have shot at us had they been able to recognize our forms... they didn't really care for our corporation, or for nearly any other mercenary group that had fought for the alliance against Ganar's empire.

We made our way up the nearest stairwell, following the battered signs for the roof. The door was locked, at least until I activated my omni-tool and ran my most basic security hack, and then we were standing on the building's decrepit roof. There were several equally battered vehicles sitting on designated landing zones, all of them clearly locked up, locked into place, and very much shut down.

Not that such things had ever stopped us before.

Shyeel focused on the physical locks holding the nearest car, a battered old taxi model that had probably been stolen from a lot in the upper levels, while I started up my omni-tool and hacked my way through the door. Whoever owned the thing hadn't been smart enough to disable remote access, so it took me all of fifteen seconds to get it open.

Typically, Shepard decided to interrupt at about the same time as I settled into the driver's seat. " _Chi, where the hell is that help? We can't exactly push them back from this position!"_

I considered not replying at all, grimaced as I remembered Cieran's orders to try and tolerate her. "It's on the way. Now stop bothering me, we're in the middle of something."

That didn't seem to reassure her. " _What the hell are you doing?"_

"Don't let Solus show himself." I informed her shortly. "There's a Taker here for him, we're dealing with him."

 _"Dammit, he going to close or-"_

"He's a sniper." I interrupted her irritably, "And a saboteur, have someone sweep the clinic and keep Solus back. Now _fuck_ _off_ , we're busy here."

There was something like a furious sputter that cut off when I killed the channel, focusing on getting the car started so that I could overwrite the VI. It was a basic model, and programming the auto-pilot didn't take very long. Shutting down all of the proximity sensors, emergency systems, and other safety features intended to stop the vehicle from doing what we were about to force it to do took a few minutes longer.

By the time I had finished, Shyeel had likewise wrapped up cutting the thing loose from the clasps that had locked it to the building. We moved away after that, walking over to the edge. Our view wasn't the best from this corner, which was why we hadn't simply setup here, but I could see the target building easily enough.

Reszad had darkened the building, and all of the others nearby, which was a clear enough sign that he wasn't anywhere inside of them. As much as I hated the little shit, he'd been trained in the same hunting methods as I. He'd darkened the buildings to draw attention to them, probably just as soon as he was sure we'd left, left enough traps to kill us if we tried to sneak up on where he had been, and then he'd slipped out and relocated to another position.

"Either the one on the street corner." I pursed my lips, flicking my eyes around, "Or... there, that little store. He could see anyone counter-attacking outside of the clinic from either, and both probably have back doors he can bolt out of."

Shyeel grunted, "Which one do we hit?"

"Store." I shrugged, "I saw Tears moving into that when we headed this way, they're probably still sitting in reserve inside."

"Works." She replied, dropping to a knee and pulling her Kishok off of her back. We could only see about a third of the Tears from here, but that was still a good eight or nine targets that we could kill. Pulling out my Viper, I settled down beside her, balancing the weapon across a knee while my left hand brought my omni-tool back up.

Behind me, the old taxi's engines rumbled to life as it rose up and off the roof. A gesture saw its main thrusters let out coughing roars as I commanded the throttle to slam all the way forwards, the vehicle surging less than a meter over our heads. Then its nose threw itself back as it surged upwards into the transit tube in the ceiling. I let the entrance, then executed the second part of the program, the car rolling over and diving like a exceptionally terrible fighter-craft.

Even with the little bit of altitude, it hadn't really had enough time to build up the proper speed. It didn't demolish the storefront as well as it might have, but it still obliterated the entrance and left a massive plume of dust and smoke as the vehicle tore deeper into the structure.

That same little thrum ran through me again at the destruction, the wild part of my soul letting out a quiet mewl of ecstatic pleasure. I'd never admitted it to him, but Cieran's habit of smashing cars into things had become a guilty pleasure during our simpler days as a small mercenary squad. There was just something about the shocking finality of the impact that I couldn't help but enjoy.

It wasn't the same as knife work, but it was still pleasing in its own way.

Snapping my rifle up, I quickly settled my scope onto a Tear who'd staggered away from the impact. A gentle pull on the trigger put a round into his chest, the Human staggering at the blow but remaining upright. My second shot likewise smacked into barriers, but the third resulted in a soft puff of red mist coming out from his back.

Shyeel, the bitch, put down her first target with a single shot from her oversized weapon, the Kishok thundering as the harpoon blew out a Turian's visor. We put down another target each before the opposing mercenaries tracked the incoming fire and rushed to get the other buildings between us and them. Our combined fire killed a Human before he could reach safety, but the other three made it.

"Relocate." My companion hummed as the pair of us backed away from the edge, "Walkway?"

It was probably the best option we had given our positioning. "Yes."

Her helmet's visor lingered on me, and I felt my tongue flick over my lips. Some of my pleasure must have come out into the single word, enough to make put her on alert.

"I'm in control." I countered, heading back for the stairwell. "Don't look at me like-"

A flash of blue and a dull whump of a biotic blast cut me off, an Asari in red armor appearing directly behind us. Her shotgun roared, half-catching Shyeel as she whirled around, though her barriers held. The second shot shattered them, but the Reyja'krem vanished in a biotic blur of her own before our guest could fire a third time.

The Tear snarled, snapping her gaze towards me just as I activated my cloak, backpedaling and moving left before she could get a proper bead on me. My rifle collapsed as I returned it to my lower back, fingers finding the smooth disc of a grenade and the hilt of one of my two knives. Unfortunately our attacker wasn't so stupid as to stand neatly in the open and wait for us to kill her.

Instead she kicked herself backwards, letting herself plummet off the side of the building. A brief flash of biotic light betrayed her using her talent to survive the fall, but by the time I made it to the edge she'd vanished. Either into the building or back to join her comrades, I couldn't tell.

Fucking seriously? _Two competent_ enemies in one day? We had _no_ luck... _I_ had no luck, bitch might have been worth taking.

Growling and muttering in frustration, I backed away, moving quickly over to where Shyeel was cautiously rising from behind another of the aircars. We lingered there for a few moments, waiting for her to re-appear with friends, only to end up sitting around pointlessly as the fighting began to die off in the courtyard below.

Then Shepard was on the line again, her voice cold and hard. " _They're pulling back. No sign of a Quarian."_

Shyeel spoke up before I could, "Keep Solus down. We're going to double-back and check the back entrance for any traps, Ayle's troops should-"

Her words cut off as a harsh fusillade of heavy rifles started up in the near-distance, the characteristic rhythmic cracks of our company's carbines quickly being joined by the faster firing weapons favored by the Tears.

"-be here any minute." She finished, somewhat unnecessarily. "Coordinate with whoever is running them, have them check the local buildings. We'll meet you in the clinic."

"We will?" I asked, my legs rocking a little. I'd have much rather joined in on finishing off the Tears.

"We will." Shyeel placed a hand on my shoulder. "You need to calm down."

Growling, I shook her off and stalked to the stairwell, taking several steps down before stopping. I didn't want to calm down dammit, Cieran had kept me on a tight leash when we'd hunted Cerberus, it had been too long since I'd been able to hunt, to take. And that Asari had to have been someone, a veteran, if I could...

Air hissed out between my teeth as I closed my eyes, shaking my head sharply.

"You." Shyeel murmured from behind me, "Seriously need to get laid."

"Shut. It." I growled in reply, not so much as looking at her.

Surprisingly, she actually did so, patiently waiting until I managed to bury my fury and instability away in the hidden valleys of my mind once again. It took nearly a minute, but I managed to nod somewhat politely once I was calmed again.

She nodded in reply, and then we set off to make sure that Reszad hadn't left any traps at the back door.

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Date:_ 08-14-2186

 _Location:_ Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

"What am I supposed to do with you?" The words were quiet as I stared at Voya, who didn't quite meet my eyes from where she was standing in front of my desk. She was still in her armor, with what looked like Vorcha blood splattered over her feet and lower legs, though she'd removed her helmet and tossed it onto a chair.

"I'm _fine._ " She growled in reply, though there was a slight flick as her black tongue ran over her bottom lip, a clear sign of her nerves. "I don't care what Shyeel says."

"She says that you all but lost control in a rather minor skirmish." I replied, keeping my tones measured and even. "This not all that long after you ignored my orders and ran off to board Cronos Station."

"That was-"

"Where," I continued placidly, "The marines had to lie to you about how long the scuttling charges were set to in order to stop you from running off after Brooks, even though we already had Shepard."

She winced.

"So," I resumed when it was clear she wasn't going to offer anything in her defense. "What am I supposed to do with you? Clearly the exercises I made you go through when we got back weren't what you actually needed."

"I'm fine." Voya repeated, though not nearly as stridently as she had the first time.

And, just like the first time, I ignored the declaration. "Shyeel thinks it's just repressed sexual frustration, that I should start gently pushing you for more than what we've been doing. I don't know if I quite believe that, but _something_ is obviously wrong because this is twice inside of a month that you've actively disobeyed my orders."

A muscle in her cheek twitched. "I didn't disobey them this time."

My mask cracked a little as I glowered at her, my head tilting a bit to the right. "I can read a bloody map, Voya. The building you picked to snipe out of was fucking terrible. Shyeel says you picked it because it had the best sight lines, entirely ignoring the fact that it was isolated from the clinic and extremely close to where the Tears would probably setup. They'd have rushed your position before you could snipe out more than one or two and you fucking know it."

Another wince. "I... didn't think of it like that..."

"Consciously, maybe." I allowed, though my glare didn't lessen. "But that doesn't change the fact that I ordered you to stay at range, and you tried to setup all but on top of a goddess-damned entrance to the courtyard. Further, you didn't so much as bother to go _into_ the clinic despite me asking you to warn Solus. Athame's fucking azure, you didn't even _call_ him."

Wince number three saw her shoulders hunch a little, her head twitching to make her stiff hair rustle. "Shepard handled it."

"And good that she did, because I would have lost my fucking shit if he'd gotten killed due to a lack of advanced warning." I growled, "Dammit Voya, what the _fuck_ is wrong? I don't ask anything of you privately, and professionally the only thing I've ever wanted is for you to _listen_ to me and at least _try_ to obey the orders I give you. You haven't even managed that much in the last two missions and it's not inspiring me at all to bring you with when we go after Okeer."

Already wide eyes seemed to grow in surprise, her head rocking back as if I'd just slapped her.

"Right now," I continued relentlessly, "I'm leaning towards pairing you back up with Shyeel and leaving you here to train the new Lancer teams, and taking Illyan with me. She, at least, can be trusted to stay on the ship and not try to smuggle herself down to the surface where she would be killed horribly by Krogan berserkers since she wouldn't have any backup."

"You wouldn't-"

"I would." The words came out as a harsh snap, and left her mouth hanging up slightly. She actually took a step back when I increased my glare to frigid levels for several long breaths... and then I closed my eyes and let out a very long, very tired sigh. The tension drained out of my posture, leaving only an exhausted slump in its wake.

"Dammit Voya." My voice lowered to something weary. "I know it's not easy for you to open up to anyone, but I thought you would at least talk with me. I've been worrying about you since Firelance, when you got annoyed just because we were with and you couldn't run off and start cutting throats. I've been waiting for you to tell me something, anything, that I could do to help."

I could see her throat work as she swallowed, glowing eyes lowering to the floor. Then, as if she'd just made some kind of choice, she shook her head sharply and began pacing back and forth. "I... dammit. The last two years have been... weird, all right?"

One of my eyebrows rose. "Weird?"

"Weird." She repeated. "I've had more down time since the war ended than I've had since I was a teenager. I'm not... I'm not _used_ to this. Then there was Shyeel, and what happened between the two of us. And then then last six months, with you and I... and... I just... _Keelah,_ I don't know."

I pursed my lips a little, considering that. "Sparring sessions haven't been enough?"

"It's not the same." The words were somewhere between a mewl and a growl, a strange combination that only Quarians seemed able to pull off. "There's no real danger to it, no finality at the end."

A long time ago, I might have considered that statement to be rather unsettling coming from my lover. As it was, I merely sighed. "I'm not going to let you go hunt down a bounty just to de-stress, we don't have the time. Nor do we have anyone available to back you up even if we did have the time."

"I know." She muttered almost sullenly. "Can... when Shepard goes after the Krogan... do we _have_ to stay on the ship?"

I eyed her warily. "Voya..."

"She doesn't _need_ Okeer." Her words came out in a rush, "We both know that. She needs the tank-bred, the final berserker. And we owe him, for the crap that his experiments did during the war. Keeping him around isn't-"

"Voya." I interrupted her, her mouth shutting with an audible click. "Okeer is a piece of work, but he's just the kind of skilled nutcase we might need for the next war. Also, you're trying to distract me from your punishment."

Her forked tongue appeared, running along her lips. "Can you... punish me by having me go after Okeer, if he doesn't agree with such a sentiment?"

I stared at her for a few moments, then shook my head. Indulging her was a terrible idea, and I knew it, but I didn't really have a better idea. Official punishments hadn't really netted any change, and more or less just annoyed her. Further, I couldn't just have her go see Ghai for sessions as I once might have. Talking with her and myself might had helped to stabilize her, compared to what she had once been, but I was pretty sure we were about at the limits of what such things could accomplish. What Voya was now was as close to stable as she was probably ever going to get.

And... dammit, but I _liked_ that lurking instability. The danger she represented. The lethality she offered. It was part and parcel of what made her attractive to me. I didn't want her to change.

But... I still _had_ to give her some kind of slap on the wrist. I was more or less a complete hard-ass when any of my other subordinates jeopardized their people or even came close to ignoring orders. Not punishing her severely would run counter to the precedent I had already set, and could lead to some level of instability in the organization. Probably not all that much considering that I was due to retire once this crap was done, but it was the kind of thing we _really_ didn't need the rank and file bitching about before we sent them to fight Collectors.

"If I agree to this," I spoke the words slowly and carefully, not quite looking at her as I worked out my thoughts. "You'll have to calm down, actually obey orders, and accept a token punishment. And you'd better not give me a reason to regret it."

Voya seemed to hesitate, clearly more than a little surprised that I was giving in. "You... I always forget how easily you forgive me."

I snorted softly. "You shouldn't, it's not exactly new."

Her eyes closed as her head shook slightly. "That part of you will never change, will it?"

"Probably not." It had yet to, after all, despite everything else I'd gone through. Empirical evidence suggested I'd probably go right on forgiving my friends, even when I probably shouldn't, until the day I died.

"Idiot male." The words came out as an almost fond sigh. "Anything else?"

"Yes." I hedged, returning my eyes to hers. "There's a personal matter that I want you to agree to."

Her glowing orbs narrowed, a wariness appearing within them. "...which is?"

"You need to agree to the prior terms first." I countered. "And agree to the matter."

"Without knowing what any of this is?"

I lifted an eyebrow, my voice turning dry. "Do I need to repeat all of the crap you've gotten up to in the last month?"

She winced. "...fair point, fine. I'll obey orders, properly, and I'll only kill the battle-master if you give me permission. And... I'll do whatever this personal thing is. Probably."

A snort came out before I could stop it, and then I rose from my chair. "You will. First things first, your official punishment."

Voya's posture and expression went from chagrined to wary inside of a heartbeat. "...yes?"

"Part one, you are confined to headquarters from now until the mission to take on Okeer." I shook my head, "You can leave only with one of our team with you as an escort, and you'll need a reason. Part two, you're losing your next two months pay."

Her lips pursed a little. Neither was actually a punishment and I knew it; she rarely left the main building except on assignment anyway, and neither one of us really spent our money on much of anything. She had nearly a million credits just sitting in an account, largely untouched. A few thousand less wouldn't even be noticeable.

But for a mercenary, losing _two months_ of pay was the next best thing to being imprisoned. Even withholding a small amount from _one_ paycheck was considered to be one of the most extreme punishments that we had. The rank and file would probably be stunned once the duration and amount got out, and no one would be able to say that I hadn't come down on her like the wrath of Athame.

Well, no one who didn't actually know us.

"Part three," I waved at my chair, "I can't exactly assign you to kitchen duty, so here you go. There's two hundred and thirty seven items in my in-box. Get to it."

Black lips parted, closed, and then parted again as she tried to find her voice. "What?"

"You'll need them done by the end of next shift." I continued as if she hadn't spoken, "And I _do_ expect them all to be resolved so no slacking off. Contact Erana if you aren't sure if something actually need my approval or not."

"I..." Her armored chest heaved as she sucked in a breath, and then whistled out between her teeth. "I'm going to change first. And don't expect me to act as your secretary from now until we leave."

"That will depend on your ability to follow orders." I replied evenly.

Voya pursed her lips, grimaced, and then shook her head once again. She clearly didn't like it, but just as clearly knew that I was going easy on her as it was. Accepting would be annoying, but satisfy the professional obligation I had to chastise her. Provided she actually kept to her promise and behaved, she'd have an annoying couple of weeks, but little more than that and she knew it.

"All right... that's that part," She allowed, "But what about the personal thing?"

"It's come to my attention that we haven't been on a date recently. Of any kind." I exhaled, "And a quick check of my memories tells me that you've initiated pretty much every intimate thing that we've ever done and every personal conversation we've had since we got together. I thought I was overdue to do something pleasant for you."

She quite clearly wasn't sure how to take that, blinking a few times. "...meaning what? Are you taking me hunting or something?"

"No. We haven't had my kind of date yet, so we're going to have dinner in a few days." My throat worked as I swallowed, "You'll find a _callisho_ in our closet, I had it custom ordered from a place in Celthani."

Voya's mouth opened in surprise. "You... ordered me a _dress_?"

"Yes?" I hesitated slightly. "Not in public, obviously, just in our place. If that's all right."

"I'll..." Her head shook. " _You_ ordered _me_ a _dress?_ "

I scowled at her. "It's not like I could buy you a new gun, or armor. You won't give up that Viper and I've already built or customized everything else you have."

"True but... I..." Her tongue flicked over her lips, "You know I don't really like that kind of thing."

"And I'm not really one for hunting, but I still went. Had more fun than I thought I would." I replied quietly. "Look, if it dissolves into an awkward thing we can always just go spar, or work on our weapons, or do anything else. Just let me make you a formal dinner and try and talk with me."

She sucked in a long, slow breath, then closed her eyes and twitched her chin in something like a nod. "I... have to go get cleaned up, and then get to work on this. Where will you be, if I need you?"

"Checking on our guests." I sighed, personal awkwardness washing away as a different variation of tiredness rolled in. Shepard had been about as happy as I'd expected when she got back with Mordin, partially in thanks to Shyeel and Voya's actions, and partially just as reaction to having to deal with Omega beyond our gates. "I'll be back by fourth shift."

Voya nodded, hesitated, then nodded again and headed past me for our suite to change. I watched her go, sighing as the door shut, and then turned to head for the elevator.

Dammit. I _was_ going too easy on her, again, like I always did. And she was entirely correct in that it would bite me in the ass sooner rather than later... but I couldn't see myself changing that part of my personality anytime soon. Ghai's theory that it was a reflex to having lost everything, causing me to cling to what friends and lovers I managed to find made plenty of sense. Plus, there was still the pragmatic aspect of the situation... I just wasn't in a position where I could afford to lose friends, not over something relatively minor.

And besides, disobeying orders or not, it wasn't as if Voya's actions had actually led to actual problems. I didn't have a real reason to come down any harder on her than I had.

I sighed as the lift doors closed, turned, and lightly banged my head against the wall several times. Dammit but I really was an idiot male... five minutes hadn't even gone by and I was making excuses for her. Worse, it was distracting me before I had to deal with Shepard, an interaction that was never exactly a pleasant process.

A few moments later the elevator finished lowering me down to the floor that Shepard and her people were staying on. It was a short walk to the entrance to their suite, and after a few breaths worth of thought, I elected to try for polite and knocked rather than simply using my override code. An added bonus was the forty seconds it took for someone to show up and open the door, giving me that much more time to properly calm and brace myself.

"Hello Cieran." Nikita greeted me politely, the tenor of her voice telling me that her emotional personality was currently running their body; the cynical one clipped off her words as if biting them. "Did you need something?"

"Shepard wanted a meeting." I replied, "Voya is handling my paperwork, so I have time."

"Oh." She blinked, then glanced over her shoulder. "Shepard?"

"Let him in." The Spectre's cool voice came from inside, and the former detective stepped aside to allow such.

Stepping inside, I glanced around as I did so. The place was surprisingly empty, I'd half expected to find Shepard's entire team, but instead I only found two others present. the undead Spectre sitting on a couch with a glass of wine in one hand, T'Soni settled in next to her. Both were wearing simple silken robes that the Asari had had to have brought with her and looked as if they'd just gotten out of the shower.

"Kean." Shepard's orange flecked eyes tracked me as I approached, "I didn't expect you this quickly."

"I had the time." I repeated, settling into the armchair on the other side of the small living room. Nikita quietly followed, but chose to sit alone at the kitchen table rather than in the main area with the rest of us. "Solus?"

Her shoulder rose and fell, "He thanked us for helping to defend his clinic, and then agreed to join the mission. Apparently he's been getting bored on Omega, and the idea of saving the colonists who have been taken appeals to him."

"Good." Mordin might have been a bit weird, but he was a certifiable genius and the right kind of crazy for the mission ahead. "He has a possible defense against the cybernetic bugs we think the Collectors use to paralyze their targets, you'll want to see if he can get your equipment set. And if he's made any improvements."

Shepard frowned, her tone edging towards irritation. "You already have them for your people?"

"Sort of." I grimaced, "We gave him what we found from Novgorod and he made the counter-tech for us, some kind of pheromenal dispenser, but we've never had a chance to field test it. Didn't see the point of giving the old one to you if he was just going to replace them all anyway."

"Ah." That clearly didn't really satisfy her, but she shook her head as if pushing that away for now. "With his joining, we have some time until we go after our next recruit. I wanted to establish some kind of a training plan for my team, and to make sure that you had a ship ready in case another colony was intact."

Grunting, I leaned back slightly in my chair, calling up the various schedules from my greybox. "The _Headsman_ will be back in sixteen days, give the crew a week of leave and the dockworkers some time to refit her, we'll depart on the tenth."

Her lips pursed, but she nodded slightly. "And the other colonies?"

"The _Dusk Speaker_ will be ready to take you to investigate any attacks that happen in the next two weeks." I twitched a shoulder, rolling it in an Asari shrug. "The _Will'o'wisp_ will be on station for the remaining time."

Liara frowned. "Those are both corvettes."

"Obviously." I replied, "I can't afford to send anything larger, and they're fast and quiet enough to get in and out."

"And if they find any survivors?" She pressed, "That class doesn't carry many supplies."

"There have never been survivors before." My head shook a little, "I doubt that the pattern will change. In either case it isn't as if the bugs actually take supplies. You can assist them however you want to if there are any."

The Asari scowled a little, but subsided when Shepard placed a hand on her knee. "Do you at least have a cargo ship? Something that we could have prepared?"

I shook my head again. "Our logistics are strained as it is, and that kind of thing would just attract pirates. If there are any survivors, which I still doubt there will be, helping them quietly is your only option if you expect them to survive beyond your departure."

Shepard's lips twisted a little. "Better to evacuate them then. I'll ask Severa on our next call, see if the Hierarchy can put a ship in position."

"Whatever you want." My left hand twitched slightly, making my apathy clear. The most survivors that they would find _might_ be a tiny Quarian team on Freedom's Progress, who would have their own ship anyway. Either way, it was her time to waste, and I had more realistic preparations to begin. "You said you wanted to discuss training? I thought I already gave you the run of our facilities."

Blue eyes with bits of gleaming orange met mine as she narrowed them in a mild glare, but she managed to keep herself on subject. "Yes, but I would prefer to be able to engage in some kind of war game with your own teams. Retrieving Doctor Solus was a good start, and I think we worked out some problems, but I doubt that fighting the Collectors will be anything like fighting a gang or conventional mercenaries."

I rolled a shoulder. "Likely true."

Those eyes narrowed further. "When can you have people available?"

"Assuming you can drag Terro and Chek's people out of the bars and brothels they're probably lounging in, you can work with them whenever you want." I shrugged. "My people are a little busier, but I suppose we could setup something for later in the week."

Nikita spoke up at that, her voice wry, "I think it would be better if I set it up, and let you know which training zone right before. I don't think Kaya meant that she wants to deal with a million booby-traps and minefields."

Shepard blinked, glanced at her, then at me. "Seriously? You _trap_ your own training zones?"

"He," Nikita continued, amusement in her voice, "Will trick his own people into turning around so that he can shoot them in the back."

My fingers flicked dismissively, "I don't see the point of fighting fair, so why should our training regimens be any different? It teaches the other teams to know better than to walk into a prepared position."

"It's actually amusing." Nikita smiled a little, as if in memory. "Everyone clears out of the streets when two Lancer teams spar in the public areas. It tends to... wander. I think the last one had Terro's team chase Chek's up to the top of an apartment complex. Didn't it end in a shoot-out in the middle of a brothel?"

"Yeah." My lips twitched a little as I remembered that particular engagement. "The madame kicked Chek in the quad after it was done, and I think both teams are black-listed now."

Shepard actually snorted softly, something like a smile briefly appearing on her lips. "I suppose I'll take that as a warning then."

Sighing, I gave Nikita a mild glower, to which the tan skinned woman merely gave me a cheerful smile. "Did you have anything else?"

"Yes." The Spectre's small smile faded as quickly as it had come. "These Scarlet Tears, and that other Trophy Taker. I want to know everything you know about both groups, and in what other areas you think Matriarch T'Ravt might attempt to derail the mission."

I could only sigh as I realized just how much longer of a day this was about to become.

* * *

 _ ** _Next up is Press Ganged III_**_

 _ _Apologies for the long delay. My personal life isn't exactly in a good place right now, and its massively thrown off my writing groove. Hopefully this chapter didn't suffer for it. Right now the plan is for four more chapters for this particular operation, after which we'll have a few more interludes.__

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

Thanks, Kat


	13. Operation: Press Ganged III

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Press Ganged**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Date:_ 08-18-2186

 _Location:_ Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

A slow puff of _chehala_ smoke curled out from my lips as I watched the latest training run down below, my eyes tracking the various figures as they bobbed and weaved from one position to another.

It hadn't taken Shepard long to get back into proper form, or for her to figure out how to best utilize the people on her team. She'd divided her group into two three man teams, which made me roll my eyes a little, and had quickly pounded a reasonable degree of teamwork into everyone. She had taken T'Soni and Goto, her team acting as the forward combatants... though not in the fashion I was usually familiar with.

I had only vague recollections of Shepard's fighting style, but it had come back quite quickly as I watched her rapid movements. Goto didn't have any issues keeping up with her, and T'Soni had only needed a day or two to re-adjust to her bondmate's patterns. The three fought almost entirely at speed, ducking in and out of cover rapidly while never really staying in one place for very long. It had given Terro's team utter fits, we weren't used to that kind of mobile engagement, and it had showed over the last couple of days as she'd gotten back into form.

Garrus was running the support team, and while he fought in a more typical fashion, he was no less effective for it; especially when combined with Shepard's dartfish patterns. He would find an ideal sniping position and setup there, with Mordin using technical equipment to fortify the position and keep attackers away. Nikita assisted in that, she wasn't much of a combatant, but she had frighteningly good situational awareness and would keep watch for flankers and alert Garrus when she felt it was time to relocate.

They'd spent most of the last week running through various training missions, mostly against our Lancer teams, occasionally working with a scratch team that Lawson had thrown together. Taylor was a solid combatant without truly being exceptional, but having EDI with in her mech form was a rather significant advantage when it came to info-war crap. Personally I thought that waking up the brainwashed N7 agent would have helped significantly, but Lawson wasn't eager, and neither was Shepard.

The former because she didn't know how much brainwashing had already been done, and the latter because she wasn't ready to deal with a near-clone when she herself hadn't even been 'awake' for a month yet.

I thought they were both being idiots, not that either woman had bothered to ask me. If she _was_ brainwashed, we'd shoot her. Problem solved. If she _wasn't,_ they'd have another elite combatant, and Shepard would get over it.

Illyan leaned against the wall beside me, watching the end of the latest skirmish. Her voice was quiet, the crowd more than giving us space as we gazed down into our largest training pit. "What does that make the record?"

"She's beaten up Terro pretty badly." I grimaced, "Ten wins to four, and three of his wins were in the first two days. They do better on the defense, usually wound or kill at least a few of her people, but she still takes them all."

Blue lips pressed together, "Chek?"

"He's doing better, she's only up eight to six." My right shoulder rolled, "Jacqueline and Mirala keep overpowering the lead squad. T'Soni is good but Mirala flattens her every time they get into a biotic spat."

She snorted, "You'd think she would have learned after the first time."

"Right?" I shook my head, "I wouldn't have picked her for the fragile pride type, but goddess. It's like she can't bear to admit that she isn't as strong as an ardat-yakshi four times her age."

Illyan seemed to frown, staring down to where Aethyta's daughter was holstering her weapon, standing close to Shepard. "I suppose I can understand that. Mirala is... kind of unsettling to be around for us. I mean, crap, you remember how nervous we were back on Redcliffe when we worked it out? It's a bitch to get over a childhood filled with stories about them."

It was my turn to purse my lips, "She doesn't want to show a predator weakness?"

"Something like that." There was a rolling shrug. "When is our turn?"

"First shift tomorrow."

"We calling anyone else?"

"Nope."

Her eyes narrowed a little. "We'll be outnumbered."

"What else is new." I sighed, "The only people we could really bring in would be the old crew, and they're all busy as fuck keeping everything running smoothly. And we haven't actually fought with them in... shit, how many years now?"

"A few." She replied. "Still, we could ask Trena at least."

I grunted quietly. I'd considered it, if only because Trena was still probably the most directly lethal person I knew, at least when she was feeling motivated. Mirala had her when it came to raw biotic power, but even the demon couldn't match Trena's control... and scales was about five times the shot that Mirala was. Athame's ass, she was probably the only person we had who could go up against Shepard in a mobile fight and have a decent chance.

Which was exactly why I _didn't_ want to have her spar with Shepard in public. "Call me paranoid, but I'd rather not let Lawson be able to observe all of our people. I don't care that she trusts her people, I refuse to believe that her organization doesn't have at least _one_ person still loyal to Harper."

"You're paranoid." Illyan informed me, voice utterly deadpan.

I rolled my eyes, "Quiet you."

"Sorry boss, pointing out the obvious is part of the job description." A broad hand rose and ruffled my hair, the tall Asari entirely ignoring my irritable growl as I waved my pipe to bat her limb away. "Anyway, you wanted an update on the new teams?"

I grunted, returning my pipe to my mouth and inhaling some more _chehala._ "Go."

"Ayle put together twenty candidates for us, Shyeel thinks we can pick out one solid team out of them right now, probably six people. The rest have potential but aren't up for it yet. She thinks we can turn them into two more teams if we can keep working on them." She rolled her left shoulder, "I'd let you guess who we picked to lead team four but I'm sure you already know."

"Aya." It was a statement rather than a question.

Illyan nodded, "We'll need someone to take her place as the marine commander."

I waved a hand dismissively, "If Ayle assigned her for Lancer duty she should have already had a replacement in mind."

"True enough." Blue eyes glanced down at me, "Shy says it shouldn't take more than a month or two to get the new team working together properly. Might be in time for the showdown at Horizon."

"Don't know if that will be the best trial by fire." Smoke trailed out with the words as I sighed, "But... shit, it's not as if things will get any calmer. Do what you can to get them to Terro's level at least."

"Will do." There was a short pause, "How _are_ we going to take on Shepard tomorrow, anyway?"

I hummed around my pipe as I puffed on it a few more times, considering the problem. In terms of raw skill we were probably close, but there was the numbers problem, along with the issue that Liara's biotic talent was far above Illyan and Shyeel's limited capabilities. Shepard didn't seem to use her biotics for much of anything besides personal protection, I had no idea why, but the fact that she had them was still an issue.

Divide and conquer was out, no one of us could hold off three of them, and that would still leave an even fight on the other side. Trying to bunker down probably wouldn't be effective either, since Shepard's team would just dance around until they could flush us out for Garrus to pick off. Which was really the crux of the problem... I was fairly sure we could take Shepard's team, box her in and force her to fight our way, but we couldn't do that while Vakarian was hunting us and Solus was using his own technical mines to harass us.

"Something unexpected." I mused aloud, "And as unfair as we can rig it. I'll have something by morning."

"You better." Illyan replied, a small quirk to her lips, "I'd rather not get humiliated, and I don't have the time to work out a plan for you."

I snorted out a cloud of white. "Because your image is what worries me most in this situation."

"Glad you agree." Illyan grinned at me, though it turned a little sad as she glanced away. "Still... makes me miss the old team, the ones we went into Redcliffe with. If we had Callada, Dietrich, Glitch... it wouldn't even be a fight."

I smiled slightly as well, then felt it widen a little as an idea hit me. My companion noticed, frowning a little as she took in my expression. "Boss?"

"Just an idea." I waved my pipe from side to side to dismiss her concern. "You need to get back to work, and I have a date to prepare for."

There was a very heavy, very real sigh. "Words cannot describe how screwed up that is boss. I'm supposed to be the one going out while you're the one working... the galaxy feels like it's fucking off-balance."

"You'll survive." I replied breezily, patting her on the shoulder with my free hand as I turned. "Now get."

"Yes boss." The dutiful reply came as we separated, Illyan getting moving towards the small training facility where Shyeel was probably still working on the new Lancers, while I started heading back towards my headquarters. The crowd was rather sparse, it was still very early in first shift, but what people were already out and about separated to give me plenty of space.

Which was polite, and for once didn't bother me... mostly because about twenty seconds into my walk, Miranda Lawson all but glided up beside me. She was wearing plain black fatigues, lacking even rank insignia, though I could see her usual armored bodysuit beneath the collar when she dipped her head politely.

"Frankenstein."

"Hephaestus." She replied coolly. "What do you think of the training exercises?"

I twitched a shoulder, "Useful as training exercises, good to help get Shepard back into shape. Not sure how useful they'll be beyond that since we still have no real knowledge of the Collector's technology or tactics."

Her right hand rose and shifted in a what-can-you-do manner. "We have to start somewhere, and if nothing else it has allowed Shepard to adjust to her changes, as well as confirming that she is still-"

"Yes, yes." I interrupted her, mostly because I knew it would bother her. "You brought her back from the dead, just as she was. You don't have to keep bringing it up."

Lawson turned her head to scowl at me. "And you hardly need to be as antagonistic as you insist upon being. You hardly act like this around Chambers."

"Chambers isn't as amusing to needle." I replied simply.

"...I truly despise you."

My right shoulder rolled, showing how little that bothered me. "Honestly you should consider yourself lucky. I was much worse a few years ago."

"I find that hard to believe." Full lips pursed as she shook her head, "We are off subject. I needed to speak with you about Oriana."

I frowned slightly, slowing to a stop as we reached the converted casino. "Did you intend to relocate her?"

Miranda paused for a brief moment, then cautiously took a few steps so that our feet were nearly touching. Her voice lowered to a whisper, "How much would it cost to maintain a full watch over her and her surrogate family while they are here?"

My frown deepened. "They're already living inside the enclave, what more-"

"I want twenty-four seven protection." It was her turn to interrupt me, "As well as analyzation of all of their incoming and outgoing messages."

"Overprotective much?" I shook my head bemusedly, "They're-"

"I know Harper, and I know Kai Leng." She all but hissed. "And they know me. How much will it cost?"

I stared at her for several long breaths, then shook my head again. The pair were psychopaths but they weren't stupid; going after Oriana would be pointless at this juncture. It could probably fuck with Miranda psychologically, but it wasn't as if it would change their circumstances. Further, if Harper actually believed in his own pro-humanity agenda he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the fight against the Collectors.

Then again... killing Oriana and framing Harper _would_ be the kind of thing that the Matriarch would do. Empirical evidence did suggest that she was once again involving herself in Terminus affairs, so it definitely wasn't out of the realm of possibility that she would make such a move.

"I'll see about shaking a Hunting Squad loose." I sighed. "They should have the skills you need. You'll have to cover their salaries, and owe me a favor. Two, if you honestly expect them to keep their presence quiet."

Miranda lifted a single dark eyebrow. "You trust me to repay a mere favor?"

"Yes. Obviously."

That seemed to take her aback considerably more than I thought it would, and her being right up in my face ensured that it was easy to see the flicker of uncertainty that ran across her features. Right... she didn't like being reminded that I knew all too much about her despite having never truly known her personally... not that I could blame her. I'd have probably found it disconcerting as fuck, if not outright creepy.

"Apologies. Salary cost plus five percent, full protection for your sister." I turned away slightly, "I'll accept another five percent, or a few dozen of your new Harrier rifles if you want them hidden from Oriana."

There was a quiet exhalation, her voice still quiet as she stepped back. "I think that is what I hate most about you... the tiniest moments of humanity. I agree to the deal."

Not entirely sure how to take that, I simply shrugged and stepped away, heading towards the doors. Lawson didn't stop me, and I heard her striding away in the other direction. I shook my head as I walked through the doors, nodding to the guards relaxing inside. Thinking about Miranda and her sister was something that could wait, my priority had to be on more personal matters right now.

Specifically the fact that I had less than two hours to get everything ready for Voya and I.

To my surprise I found Erana arriving at about the same time, the young maiden giving me a slight smile that tugged at the markings running down over her eyes. "Sir."

"Erana." I replied, frowning slightly. "There had better not be a crisis."

She giggled softly, "The only crisis is that Miss Voya hasn't worn a dress in twelve years sir."

My mouth twitched at one corner. "She asked you for help?"

"Well, it was mostly just a lot of cursing, but I'm pretty sure that there was a request for help somewhere in there."

I snorted and opened the door for her, politely stepping aside. "Just make sure she doesn't destroy it, you don't want to know how much it cost."

"I'll keep that in mind sir." She smiled again as she walked past me, the pair of us entering. Erana made her way to the master bedroom, knocking a few times. Muttered oaths came through the door before it opened just wide enough to admit the young maiden, then it slammed shut before I could so much as ask if there was anything I could do to assist.

Shaking my head, I turned aside and headed for the kitchen, calling up what I'd planned to make from my greybox. Quarian food... well, Xenthan food, trended towards simplistic and heavy. It was prepared fast, eaten fast, and intended to keep you going for a long period in between meals. Which wasn't exactly ideal for a multi-course dinner date, but I thought I could modify some of it into something more suited.

That it had been a very, very long time since I'd tried anything like this didn't help much. My saving grace was that Batarian and Quarian cuisine shared one feature; most of the meats were served as cold cuts, meaning that I could cook them first and then set them aside for later.

Erana emerged from the bedroom about ninety minutes later, and didn't quite start drooling as she entered the kitchen, but it was clear that she resisted only through an extreme effort of will. I rolled my eyes and held up a plate I'd already prepared for her. "I see you survived."

"It was a near thing." She replied, probably telling the absolute truth. "But I was able to calm her down... I _think_ she'll actually come out when it's time."

I blinked a little at that. I mean, I'd known that Voya would probably be edgy about this, but that was a bit beyond what I'd expected. "That bad?"

She gave me a mild, reproving look. "Sir... it's Miss Voya. I don't think she has any sense of self-worth when it comes to her body. I'm not even sure she did before what happened to her."

I winced, turning back to carefully stir a pot of gravy. "This was a bad idea then."

"No... well, maybe." Erana hedged, her words punctuated in between bites of Vekicor steak. "I'm sorry sir, but I'm not sure. It might be good for her, just... you know. Be careful. And change. Soon."

"Change?" I asked distractedly, turning the heat off.

The maiden gave me an are-you-an-idiot look, which made me blink a little. I mean, I'd known she was growing up, but Athame's ass it was weird to see such a serious expression on her youthful face. "Sir, you asked her to wear a _dress._ And you're wearing a casual uniform. You might not survive to offer her dinner as it currently stands."

...right, that was actually a valid point. "Did you happen to...?"

"It's in your workshop sir."

I smiled slightly. "Thanks."

She beamed at me, then resumed eating as quickly as she could. It didn't take her long to finish, and she promptly shooed me out of my own kitchen once she had. I allowed her to, her hands pushing me into the spare bedroom that I'd turned into my personal workshop and armory. Sure enough there was a small collection of clothes in the little-used bathroom, along with soap and wash.

Taking the hint, I took a fast shower and then got into the new clothes. My surrogate-daughter had picked out a plain silk shirt, colored a deep black, with a matching pair of slacks. Small neon-blue bands were sitting on the sink, and I got to work on my hair and goatee, putting them into my usual style. A small braid on either side of my mouth, a larger match on either side of my hand to dangle over my shoulders, and then tying the rest back in a high ponytail.

I regarded myself in the mirror, snorting softly. Erana had picked out the colors that Voya had liked the most in my hair, black and vibrant blue, probably assuming that she would like such colors in my clothing as well.

Emerging from the spare room, I found Erana putting a small selection of drinks onto the kitchen table for us. She looked me up and down, nodded in approval, and then gave me a quick hug before heading for the door. I checked over the table, found the right drinks and initial course ready, and then sat down to wait.

Voya didn't emerge when she was supposed to, but her voice carried from the bedroom. "This is _ridiculous."_

I rolled my eyes, "Voya..."

"Don't _Voya_ me, idiot male." Footsteps started, then stopped just out of sight. "I look like those vacuum-headed idiots who try to win favor at the Lady Warlord's balls."

"Voya." I repeated. "Would you please have dinner with me?"

There was a long pause. "How much did this stupid thing cost?"

"Doesn't matter." I informed her.

"Yes, it does. And who gave you the pattern?"

I sighed softly. This was going to get her to come over, but probably only so that she could strangle me. "You mentioned having an aunt in the Warlord's military, so I contacted her through my mother. She was happy to provide the details for the tailor and seemed entirely too amused when I told her we were together."

A furious hiss preceded Voya stalking out from the around the corner, and there was a distinctly homicidal gleam in her glowing eyes. "You _keshin_!"

My eyes flicked up and down on reflex, taking in the bizarre sight of Voya in an actual dress. She realized that she'd emerged about five seconds after she'd done so, and all but froze in place, clearly more than a little self-conscious.

I didn't particularly _want_ to stare at her, had planned on not doing so to make this easier for her, but that plan utterly failed as my brain tried to work out the sight in front of me.

The traditional Xenthan _callisho_ was... I couldn't think of a good comparison. Maybe a tight sundress mixed with something like a kimono, if someone had gone after the latter garment with a pair of scissors... and maybe a knife for good measure. The coloration, evidently that of her _vhaka_ , was an almost harlequin mix of patterns and colors; swirling reds, blues, and dark gray representing the three families from what I understood. The light blue, with jagged shades of navy running through it, was predominant, and I thought it likely the Chi family's standard as a result.

She had broad, billowing sleeves that didn't actually connect to the dress proper, instead being wrapped around her upper arms to leave her hair covered shoulders bare. Her chest was bound in something that clung very tightly to her in comparison, the soft cloth clinging to her from just above her breasts to just below her waist. The skirt resumed the billowing nature, flaring out around her legs, though I could see numerous jagged slits cut into the material to expose the white strands covering her thighs and calves.

It... was a chaotic ensemble, almost mismatched, and very alien.

It was also extremely Voya. It suited her in a way I didn't think I could properly describe in any of the languages that I knew.

Her throat worked as she swallowed, her black, forked tongue appearing as she licked her lips nervously. For once her hair was entirely loose rather than mimicking my style, the stiff strands once again falling into an almost leonine mane of white. "Stop it."

I jerked my eyes back up to her face, seeing the skin around her eyes darken as she flushed. "Sorry."

Before she could move forwards, I rose and walked around the table. She watched me almost nervously, then narrowed her eyes when I pulled the chair out for her. Voya licked her lips again, then sucked in a long breath and lifted her chin a familiarly haughty fashion, not quite stalking forwards to take the proffered chair. I pushed it in for her, then poured her a small measure of the Turian brandy that she preferred.

She didn't quite throw the entire glass back, but I did have to re-pour a good third of it before I could head for my own chair.

"So." Her voice was quiet as she began to select pieces of food from the various plates on offer. She began to reach out with a hand, clearly ready to simply spear them with her tiny claws as she usually did, then hesitated, pulled her hand back, and selected a small fork to use instead. "What do normal people talk about in this kind of situation?"

"Don't know, don't care." I replied evenly, reaching out and picking my own food barehanded in a direct contrast. "I was hoping to discuss how we're going to beat the crap out of Shepard tomorrow."

Voya blinked at me, opened her mouth, closed it, and then glanced at my hand as I reached for the rarest cut of steak available. Her lips twitched once, and then her hand shot out to grab it before it could, the claw of her longest finger coming about a millimeter from tearing my fingers open. "I see. And did you have some kind of plan?"

"In fact I do." I informed her casually, laying out my thoughts as we ate the various breads and thin cuts of meat that Erana had brought out for the first course. Voya slowly relaxed, tensing only during the short lulls in our nefarious planning, or when I accidentally allowed my gaze to wander more than was probably appropriate.

"That seems like a decent start." She allowed, watching almost hungrily as I returned with the actual steaks, mushrooms, and assorted greenery that made up the second part of the dinner. "But it isn't unfair enough."

I lifted an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Black lips curled on one side, "From what you've told me, in your memories, the Collectors like to fly in reinforcements. Wave style attacks."

"True." I frowned, "But we don't know if that's actually what they do or not."

"Irrelevant." She waved a hand dismissively, "The training scenarios so far have been irritatingly simple, this will force that stuck up bitch to actually think."

Leaning back in my chair, I idly worked through my food as I listened to her idea. It was distinctly unfair, and Shepard would probably throw a fit... which meant I liked it immediately. Especially in combination with the concept that I had already outlined. I'd agreed to make the appropriate calls and preparation long before we'd finished eating, and an awkward silence seemed to rise up more quickly than it should have.

I was opening my mouth to ask, once again, if I could talk her out of using that damned Viper, when Voya spoke up. "Cieran... did I really have to wear this?"

"Is it that bad?" I asked quietly.

"It's..." Her petite little nose flared a she exhaled, her silverware lowering to her plate as she set them down. It took her a few moments to find her thoughts, and I waited patiently until she spoke again. "I haven't worn a dress since I was fifteen, when my aunt took me with her to one of those gala events that Lady T'Ravt throws."

"She said as much, when I contacted her." I replied. "It's... this one..."

Glowing eyes seemed to stare at nothing. "You like it."

"Very much." I nodded slightly.

The skin around her eyes darkened again, and she slowly reached for her glass of brandy. "I'm... not used to having my body complemented, even non-verbally."

"Would you like me to stop?"

"I... don't know." She admitted, her gaze flicking back to me. "You... look very good. The dark clothing against your pale skin, the blue in your hair. Though you could use something to highlight the scars around your eye."

Blinking, I reached up with my left hand, touching the thin lines where a Vorcha had done its best to claw my eye out on Redcliffe. "You think so?"

"I like them." The Quarian woman offered simply. "They give you an edge that... I appreciate. They've faded slightly, something to sharpen them would be good."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time." I paused, "Assuming there is one."

Teeth appeared as she bit her lip, "Do you expect sex?"

"Of course not." I replied, knowing that I sounded nettled. "Voya-"

"Do you _want_ sex?"

That made my teeth click shut. I wanted to lie, but the truth came out when I found my voice, "Yes."

Voya regarded me without any real expression on her alien features, though her head shifted a little to make her hair rustle quietly. "Because of the dress, or always?"

"Usually always." I murmured, "Though the dress makes you look even more attractive than usual."

That flush came back. " _Keshin_... why don't you ever say anything? The last time we were intimate, I held you in place while you used your tongue on me until I'd finished twice... and all I've ever done is touch you. If that bothers you-"

"It doesn't bother me." I interrupted her, my voice still quiet. "Athame's ass Voya, I'll never pressure you into doing anything and you bloody know it."

"And that doesn't make any sense." She all but snarled, rising to her feet. The ragged folds of her skirt moved as she stalked around the table, planting her hands on her hips as she stared down at where I remained sitting. "Everything you've ever done for me, bought for me, helped me with. Any _sane_ male would have at least _hinted_ that he might want more than I've offered. _Keelah_ , we've been together for nearly seven months, never mind the years were were all but woven together."

I lifted one eyebrow. "Since when have I been sane?"

Her hands left her hips, her fingers twitching, though she said nothing.

"Case in point." I continued placidly, "A sane person would be worried considering how close you are, how many knives I know are hidden in that dress, and the fact that I could see the pistol strapped to your left thigh when you moved. I'm mostly in the mood for dessert, and wondering if you're going to try and hit me."

"You... are _incredibly_ frustrating." Voya half closed her eyes, and sucked in a slow breath. "Ancestor's damn me... I've known you for years, slept in the same bed even, and I still don't understand you sometimes."

"You love me."

"Don't remind me." She muttered almost reflexively. The glow from her eyes vanished as she closed them entirely, taking in one more deep breath before she turned around and slowly stalked back to her chair. The view from behind was just as good as the one from the front, and I allowed myself a moment of appreciation for the image before looking away. "And bring the damned dessert out here."

I did so, rising and heading for the kitchen, and then returning with ice cream and chocolate. Voya didn't so much eat it as devour it in quick, annoyed motions, settling back to wait impatiently as I ate mine more slowly.

The moment I finished she all but shot up from her seat, took two steps towards the living room, then realized I wasn't following. A tight glare got the message across, and I slowly stood up to head there as well. She made a quick gesture at the couch, and I duly sat down on my usual side while she not-quite loomed over me.

"What do you want from me?" She all but demanded, her voice low. "From us?"

I considered that with the seriousness that such a question deserved, taking my time before answering. "I want to be with you, to keep fighting alongside you. To appreciate that lethal edge you have, the loyalty you've always shown. The help you've given me, when my problems stop me from sleeping."

Something in her posture shifted, tension visibly leaving her. "And the sex?"

"Athame's ass Voya." I sighed, "If all I wanted from a woman was sex I'd be in some casual thing with Ayle. Why are you so bloody obsessed with that lately?"

"I..." A quiet mewling sound broke her words, and then it was her turn to take her time to guide her thoughts into the right currents. "I was there, when you were with Rane'li. And then Illyan. I don't think you went a night in either relationship without intercourse."

I had, but it had been fairly rare. "And the fact that we aren't going at it constantly worries you?"

Her right hand flicked to one side, "Somewhat. I know that you mean what you said, and that you aren't going to go back to Illyan or Ayle just because I don't spread my legs for you, but..."

I frowned. "Part of you expects it."

She grimaced. "I don't know. Maybe. More that... _Keelah_ , you tolerate so damned much and it never feels like I do much for you in return."

"You do plenty." I countered quietly. "You've never once backed down if I needed you, even if you had to beat the crap out of me to get me to snap out of it. Goddess, you wore a dress for me today."

That drew a snort, and something like a smile appeared. "I still feel ridiculous by the way."

My lips twitched a little. "Do you want me to try complimenting you?"

Voya cocked her head to one side, then took a small step forwards, and then a second. Her third required her to bring a knee up and onto the couch, the other coming down on the other side as she settled into my lap, the folds of her skirt messily bunching up. "I think that you do owe me for wearing this stupid thing."

Fever warm skin touched my face as she reached up, trailing fingers across the left side of my face. I felt the soft touch of her tiny claws as she traced the scars around my eye, "Voya, I just said-"

Her hand slid up to grab my hair sharply, tugging hard enough to make me hiss quietly in surprise. "Idiot male, since when have I cared about what you say? I told you that you owe me, and now you're going to repay me... and if I'm pleased with your performance, I might reward you with something new."

The heat of her body and the words combined to make me swallow slightly. Part of me had naturally hoped that something like this could happen, but I'd firmly forbid my brain from even considering it as a real possibility. "Something... new?"

In response, there was a soft touch across my lips as her forked tongue flicked out to run over them before vanishing back into her own. I swallowed again as the skin around her eyes darkened to something nearly black. "Was that clear enough?"

"Um... yes."

"Good." She nodded sharply before giving my hair another sharp tug. "Now, the sooner you get me out of this stupid thing, the sooner you can be on your knees."

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _Date_ : 08-19-2186

 _Location_ : Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

A tower shield the size of a Krogan clipped me in the shoulder, and even though it was moving fairly slowly, the sheer force of the impact sent me flying backwards.

I flared my biotics on reflex, cushioning the impact, but let my momentum carry me into a roll that flung me behind one of the old walls that served as cover inside the training arena. Liara was already behind it, flinching a little as a heavy roar sent flashing rounds right over our heads, Kean lazily keeping the pair of us pinned down. Somewhere nearby, I heard Garrus let out a curse as the rest of the Blades' senior team continued to hound after him. Nikita and Mordin were already down, taken in the opening moments of shock, and Kasumi had promptly lost a simulated knife fight to Chi when I'd sent her to try and help Garrus link up with us.

Dammit. I'd had a dozen or so plans and ideas for what kind of crap Kean would pull, based mostly on Nikita and Liara's knowledge along with what I'd seen from his subordinate teams. None of them had involved him dropping out of a shuttle twenty seconds in, all but landing on top of us in a fucking suit of power armor. I'd seen the suits around, mostly standing sentry at the outer walls of the enclave, but it had never occurred to me that Kean might drag one out just to knock us around.

Fucking stupid of me in hindsight, but that wasn't doing me any good right now.

In addition to the armor, he'd come down in a flurry of smoke and flash-bangs, timed to go off at the same time as rush-attack from his companions. T'Donna and T'Voth had both used biotic charges, dropped more grenades right at Mordin's feet, and then flashed away before I could do more than spin around. After that, things had gotten chaotic as Kean amused himself, mostly by "lightly" smacking us around with his gun and shield rather than even bothering to shoot us.

The suit looked far more primitive than it evidently was, and it didn't seem to have many weak points. At least, not to the weaponry that we had available. The hunchbacked design, shoulders and head merging together in a giant slab of armor, had proven more than capable of bouncing Garrus's sniper rounds even after we'd temporarily managed to get its shields down.

Worse, Kasumi and Mordin had been the only ones with shaped charges... and the Blades had apparently known that. Chi had wasted no time in grabbing Mordin's, using her tactical cloak to steal them before she'd jumped Kasumi. Our last two attempts to get to where the thief had 'fallen' had only resulted in Kean planting his feet on either side of her prone form and daring us to move him.

"Garrus." I snapped when it became clear that Kean wasn't about to advance on us. "Status?"

" _I lamed T'Voth_." He growled in reply, punctuating his words with shots from his assault rifle. " _T'Donna is pinning me down with that sire-fucking Spitfire, can't see Chi._ "

Shit. "Watch your six, she'll come at you from behind."

" _Maybe, but I think she'll be after-dammit_!"

The sounds of brutal, physical violence abruptly came across the channel. Cursing, I risked a quick glance up and over to where Garrus had been pinned, and saw the towering form of T'Donna bash him over the shoulders with her light machine gun. He snarled, thrusting with his bayonet, and then I had to duck again as one of Kean's rounds all but shattered my barriers.

"Liara! Go!"

My bondmate didn't hesitate, kicking off from the wall and sprinting for where Garrus was struggling. Kean targeted her instantly, but Liara was too fast to be easily hit, her biotics letting her bound over and around cover with all the grace of a flying deer.

This was such a bad plan. The moment I was sure that Liara had his attention, I spun around the low wall, and rushed towards where Kean loomed.

The sheer stupidity of what I was doing clearly took him aback, and the ungainly arms of his armor needed more time to snap the heavy rifle around than he had. Unfortunately he knew it... and didn't do what I expected. I had _hoped_ that he would shift forwards and bring his shield into play as he had the last time I'd gotten close, but instead he stepped away from Kasumi, the awkward suit moving laterally to give himself an extra second to bring his firearm into play.

I had to move to his left, my artificial legs accelerating my body to inhuman levels as I stayed ahead of the weapon and got behind him. Which would have been an awesome place to be if I had a missile launcher instead of an assault rifle, but I'd have to make do. Cutting in, I launched myself at the rear of the armor, narrowly dodged an elbow as he threw it back at me, and clung to the heavy engine mount.

Kean promptly turned and began to back rapidly towards the nearest wall, clearly intending to smash me against it if I didn't get the fuck off of him... but I had the time I needed to grab one of the small grenades from my belt, slap it against the grenade launcher mounted on the suit's left shoulder, and then leaped free.

My feet were still a good foot off the ground when there was a flash of burning orange light, and something utterly constricting snapped around me. I hit the ground as the submission net finished confining me, my arms tight and awkward against my chest, unable to do anything to brace my fall. If I'd had real ankles I'm pretty sure I would have rolled or broken both of them as I all but bounced off of my feet and went down hard.

A booted foot stopped my tumble, and I glared through my helmet as Chi lazily leaned down to smack a training baton across my helmet.

"Dead." The Quarian purred, "And we didn't even get to use my part of the plan. How pathetic."

I twitched irritably. "Liara? Garrus?"

"The big idiot dealt with the latter." She attached the small baton to her belt, and noticeably made no effort to get the net off of me. "The former could use some training in avoiding traps."

Meaning they'd expected me to send someone to help Garrus, and had planned accordingly. That explained where Chi had been while Kean and T'Donna had kept us pinned down. "You going to let me out of this stupid thing?"

In response, she simply turned away, vanishing from my limited line of sight without another word. The bitch. Thankfully Kasumi appeared a moment later, rolling out her left shoulder before kneeling down. It didn't take her more than a moment to disconnect the net, mostly because the thing wasn't actually working at full power.

For which I was grateful. I'd heard the screams of men and women who'd actually been hit with the things.

"You actually use submission nets?" I asked as I got up, gingerly testing my legs. My feet and ankles were sore as hell, but nothing worse. "Suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"It's Cieran's." Chi replied idly, standing next to the man's power armor as hydraulics hissed and groaned, the torso splitting open to allow him to exit. "I asked him to let me borrow it."

That made me blink, and then frown as the man in question hauled himself upwards, squirming awkwardly up and onto the suit's shoulder. "You use that thing? It's practically a torture device."

"It's ideal for what I need." He replied simply, shaking his head out and sending long hair whipping around. "Snap fire it when I see an Asari tense up for a flash-step, puts them down as they come out of it, and the shocks stop them from using their biotics."

I considered that... and supposed that I could see the point. It was still an inhumane slaver's weapon, but it would be fairly ideal in that role. Especially for a non-biotic who wouldn't just be able to dodge out of the way or summon up a barrier to mitigate the incoming charge. I still didn't really approve, but I could at east understand the rationalization.

As Kean finished extracting himself and then dropped down to the ground, everyone else arrived. Much like Chi, both of the Blades Asari wore expressions that I could only describe as smug, while Garrus and Liara both looked annoyed. Mordin seemed cheerful enough, his head cocked a little as he looked over the shut-down armor, while Nikita seemed lost in an inner-conversation.

"So." Kean spoke up once everyone was present. "That was amusing."

I sighed and elected to not respond to that directly. "We need heavy weapons, one per team. Something that could deal with a battlesuit, or anything similarly heavy. And high explosives. I take it that was the lesson you were trying to import?"

He looked amused. "Mostly it was for the enjoyment of winning, but I suppose teaching you a lesson was an acceptable side-effect."

Garrus's mandibles twitched to show his irritation, but he managed to hold himself back from saying anything... which was probably a good thing. Amongst the people who I considered to be my crew, he remained the most stubborn about associating with the mercenaries. Liara didn't really trust any of them, but she only really disliked Chi personally. Privately she'd admitting to finding T'Donna's constant flirtations to be amusing, and Kean's sarcastic and abrasive sense of humor occasionally made her smirk... at least when it was directed at others.

Nikita's gentler personality wasn't really sure about any of them, but her cynical investigator half openly considered herself to be at home amongst the cold, pragmatic lot. Kasumi was harder to pin down, but I hadn't noticed that she'd had any issues with the locals. I didn't know Mordin all that well yet, but he didn't seem to hold a strong opinion on any of them, though he'd apparently done a lot of repair work on Kean in the aftermath of the last war. He'd known both he and Chi personally and had spoken to them as if they were respected acquaintances.

I was... I sighed, not really sure how I felt about any of them.

On one hand, they were mercenaries, assassins, and very cold sons of bitches. Even T'Donna, the nicest of them, wouldn't think twice about not saving someone if it wasn't 'practical' to do so. They understood the concept of mercy only as a theoretical idea, a stupid one at that, and didn't see why I should be upset that they ran their little city as a military junta. Kean was an asshole even when he was making an effort to be friendly, and he was positively genial in comparison to Chi. Or that bitch ul Massa.

But on the other hand... one trip down to Omega's lowers had driven home just how much worse things were for most people out hree. Illium Minor was practically a goddamned paradise against what I'd seen in Gozu, and while Kean might be a dictator, he was at least a scrupulously fair one who didn't tolerate shit like slavery or rape within his territory. He might not go out of his way to help people, but he didn't go out of his way to hurt anyone either. Neither did any of his people, for that matter.

My head shook a little as I forced myself to return to reality. I'd started falling into the trap of ruminating on memories when I shouldn't, apparently it was a common side-effect of recently having a grey-box installed. Miranda had warned me about letting it happen too often, and I mostly managed it... but once and a while it snuck up on me.

I came back to myself in time to hear Liara speaking, "...this run. You knew we couldn't take you."

Kean crossed his arms, his head cocked a bit to the right with his chin a bit up. That was... insulting, if I remembered Batarian posture correctly. "Of course I knew, I wanted to see what you'd do."

"You," T'Voth spoke up, her scarred features making her expression seem twisted even though there wasn't any real emotion in her voice, "Should have just cut your losses and run. Gotten into the nearest building where he couldn't follow."

I pursed my lips, "And leave our wounded behind? You only crippled Kasumi, you didn't kill her."

The Asari shrugged. "All of you got killed trying to save her, better some of you live to actually try and succeed on a second attempt. If you're one of those no-one-left-behind types, you're going to have to be a lot more paranoid in advance... and I mean more than heavy weapons."

I grimaced, but I supposed that was a valid point. Even when I'd been going after Saren, and then the Rachni Queen, and then Saren again... I'd always known I'd had the full might of the Alliance and the Citadel behind me. Supplies and reinforcements were always things I could rely on, including specialists to deal with the kinds of things I didn't technically have the training to handle. Nor did I have intelligence agencies who could provide me with reams of information on any planet well in advance of any mission.

Liara and Lawson could give me data about the landscape, but they couldn't tell me anything about the Collectors.

"Heavy weapons at the very least." I repeated eventually. "I can carry one, Garrus can take another. We'll probably need better triage gear too... maybe put together survival packs for everyone on top of that."

Garrus nodded slowly, then reluctantly turned to the Blades. "Do you have something like that we could use? I'm assuming you came up with something after your trip in the-"

His voice broke off in a startled hiss when Nikita all but surged forwards and kicked him the back of the leg. He didn't quite buckle but he did stagger slightly, turning to give her a confused glance. She retaliated with a fierce glare, then she turned to Kean.

"Cie," She bowed her head slightly, "I'll ask Chek and Terro for the kinds of supplies they consider typical. If Illyan could forward me what the four of you take with, I'd appreciate it."

Some of Kean's good humor had evidently bled out, and he gave Garrus a look that I didn't understand before he nodded. "We will do so. Another round?"

There was something similar to the way he asked, when compared to the almost bemused attitude he'd carried earlier, and it set alarm bells off in my head. Whatever the Turian had almost said, it had put Kean back into a mood... and he wanted to humiliate us. Again.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't use the armor this time." I spoke aloud, "If you want to, at least give us time to retrieve something that can damage it."

He made a dismissive motion, "I won't bother. Ten minutes?"

I nodded, he nodded, and then his small team broke away from us. I waited until they'd moved a respectable distance before I turned to Nikita and raised an eyebrow.

She grimaced. "Don't bring up the mines. Ever. They don't take it well."

My other eyebrow rose. "What happened?"

Nikita merely shook her head, "No one really knows. They went into the mines in Zeta, were pronounced dead, then showed up a month later on this side of the station half-dead."

"More than half-dead." Garrus provided, his voice quiet. "I saw Kean after he came out in a small free enclave hidden in the machining spaces. He was bleeding from... everything. Nose, ears, even his eyes. Barely seemed aware of where he was, was speaking his thoughts out loud and didn't even seem to notice."

I sucked in a sharp breath, not sure I'd hard him properly. "He was bleeding from his eyes?"

He nodded slowly. "There's all kinds of stories on station. Some people say they took on a Leviathan, and that's what tipped off Aria about the things. Others that they ran into something that the Asari builders buried a millennia ago. After your fight on the Citadel, the Reapers got a few rumors. Few conspiracy types have them fighting Protheans, unknown aliens, or even Aria herself."

"But no one knows."

"No one knows." Nikita agreed, "And the fastest way to piss them off is to ask about it."

Huh. I considered that little nugget for a few seconds, then pushed it aside. While it was a bit more confirmation on my theory that Kean was a PTSD case, as apparently were his companions, it wouldn't help us get through whatever the hell he had planned.

Falling back to our own designated starting area, I ran everyone through the basics once again, and then we split into our teams and got ready for round two, which began shortly thereafter.

I didn't want to give up my instinctive aggression simply from how the last round went, and thought I had a better idea of what they might try this time around. Especially since Chi had been complaining that 'her part' of the plan hadn't been able to go into effect. Knowing what little I did, it seemed to be a safe assumption that it would involve some kind of flank or rear attack, combined with sniping and-or traps.

And probably one of the subordinate teams joining in to get some payback.

In either case I didn't get to find out, because no more than twenty seconds after the starting buzzer a high priority signal cut across our comms. Kean snapped out a halt order as he took it, and we all stood around like idiots for about forty seconds before he came back onto the line, " _Training is over, Shepard and T'Soni, meet me at the steps_."

I grimaced, but didn't start moving. Not until he gave the confirmation code to tell me this wasn't a setup. "Confirm."

" _Riab... Rabbit_." He stumbled over the English word, then quickly returned to his Illium flavored Thessian. " _A colonial attack alert went out_."

Son of a fucking-! "Where!?"

" _Freedom's Progress_."

* * *

 _ _ **Next up is Press Ganged IV**__

 _ _And now, at long last, the canon plot is actually intersecting with the AR story plot on a more frequent basis. The next chapter will cover both the Freedom's Progress mission as well as a galactic update, with a side of preparation for the Okeer-Grunt recruitment (which will occupy chapters V and VI of this operation).__

 _ _Thanks for the kind words of support. I can't promise that there won't be another hiatus in the future, but right now writing is again becoming my main catharsis and escapist route, so it is likely that we'll have at least one chapter a week. I'll likely start posting status updates on the forums in regards to upcoming chapters, and will alert everyone there if there will be another pause.__

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_


	14. Operation: Press Ganged IV

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Press Ganged**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 **Date:** 08-19-2186

 **Location:** Afterlife, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

"Any word from Massani yet?" Voya asked, her voice filling the patient silence in the luxurious room we were lounging in.

"Nothing." I replied with a rolling shrug, fighting the urge to drum my fingers on the table in front of me. The pair of us were waiting inside one of Afterlife's many VIP rooms, along with an entire Line squad from the Second Omega, plus a half-squad of combat engineers from the First. The troopers were clearly in awe of their company and their surroundings, but were doing a credible job of not gawking.

I hadn't wanted to drag them with, my original idea had been to bring with both Lancer teams, but Ayle's argument that I should show some faith in the rank and file had convinced me otherwise.

"Which doesn't really surprise me," I continued, controlling my hands by having them tug at my armor. Even with the guards this meeting was a bit of a risk, especially occurring here rather than in our own territory. "It's only been a week, and if rumors are right he's still out in the Dark Rim. The old fish will probably get a hold of him long before we do."

Voya made a quiet, mewling sound, her longest finger on her right hand tapping against the wine flute on the table in front of her. She had removed her helmet, as I had, upon entering the sealed room, and her hair was loose and mane-like, the strands rustling as she shook her head. "I would still prefer it if we located him first."

"So would I," I sighed, "But I doubt it will happen. You know how few buoys that area has, and if Cessa _is_ employing him she might have her people lose any employment offers he gets sent."

She grimaced, throwing back the last of her drink. "True. Time?"

I glanced at the nearest wall, "They should be here any minute."

Her black lips twitched apart, showing ivory teeth before she controlled herself and schooled her expression. "Good. Deshi, wake up."

The third, and youngest, person sitting at our table gave my girlfriend an annoyed look, one hand reaching up to almost nervously run across the sparse hair growing on his jawline.

She scowled at him. "Don't look at me like that, young little _keshin_. I still don't know how you convinced your elder to give you the damned title."

He cocked his head, twitching his lips as his hand fell to the necklace hanging down to his armored chest. Eight Turian finger-claws clinked against the ceramic and metal as he did, the sound more than audible in the quiet space.

" _Keelah_ but I'd forgotten how annoying you can be even with your mouth shut." Voya's eyes narrowed further, "How does Terro put up with you?"

Deshi shrugged, shrank a little in his chair as he realized that all of the troopers present were clearly listening in, and still didn't say anything.

I could only sigh, reaching for my small glass and sipping from the smooth Caribbean rum it held. I'd have been more worried about him if I didn't know how lethal of a combat engineer the young man was, in spite of his almost painfully shy personality. About the only thing that could bring him out of it was a round of shop-talk, and then you'd have the opposite problem: getting him to shut up about his VI's, drones, and other custom gear was damned near impossible.

Before Voya could keep needling him, the airlock and only exit to the room hissed and clicked, cycling as someone came through.

Everyone, Deshi included, straightened slightly. The three of us that were sitting lowered hands beneath the table, grasping weapons, while the soldiers standing around the edges of the room or sitting at the bar casually shifted to not-quite-aim carbines and shotguns towards the door.

They actually aimed at it as the door opened, and an absolute bear of a man stepped inside. He was only an inch or two under six feet, absolutely titanic for a Quarian, and his plain gray armor and suit seemed to be struggling to contain his musculature. He bore a short-barreled shotgun on either hip, had the stock of a rifle poking above his left shoulder, and a wickedly curved blade on his belt. Rather than a necklace, he bore his trophies bandolier-style, needle-like Batarian teeth alternating with what looked like delicate Asari finger bones, and his footfalls all but echoed as he walked into the room

"Chi. Roa." His voice as deep as his body shape would suggest, and if he cared that fifteen men and women were aiming weapons at him, he didn't show it.

"Malir." Voya replied, her voice all the lighter in comparison to his baritone. "Sit. Drink?"

There was a deep grunt as he reached up to pull his helmet off. His hair was cropped short, a direct contrast to the long styles I'd seen nearly every other Terminus Quarian favoring, and even his beard was merely white stubble across his lower face. "Brandy."

While one of the engineers behind the bar got to work on that, the new arrival casually crossed the room, dropping into the chair beside Deshi. His glowing eyes glanced over the younger man, then over Voya, noticeably focused on their necklaces. After a few moments of inspection he turned his attention to me, broad features pulling into a frown as he did. "What's with the human and his lackeys? The High Elder's message said this was internal business."

Voya's eyes narrowed a little, "It will be explained when the others arrive."

Malir'cosa vas Xentha grunted, "Suppose I can't bitch, at least he gave you seniority over that _kolsha_ Halia."

Deshi seemed to wince at the very idea, and Voya shook her head irritably, though neither of them said anything in reply. Malir accepted his drink when it arrived, and then fell as quiet as Deshi though his eyes continued to flick around, taking in the soldiers now surrounding him.

Thankfully it didn't take long before guest number two arrived, the airlock cycling once again. Another Quarian male stepped out as it finished, his armor red and noticeably more battered than Malir's. He stutter-stepped at the sight of everyone, then let out a soft curse as a hand fell to his belt.

He was closer to average in build and height than the prior arrival, maybe five seven, broad at the shoulders but slim at the waist. For weaponry he had a large caliber sniper rifle riding on his back, and his fingers were already curling around a Batarian made pistol on his left hip. Disc-shaped grenades hung off of his belt, along with blockier packages that were easily recognizable as explosives. His necklace was noticeably spare compared to the others, containing only a pair of Krogan crest shards along with a trio of stained Turian claws.

"Reszad." This time Voya's voice was little more than a dangerous growl, her own hands noticeably below the table's edge. "Sit."

Reszad'sesh vas Antiva clearly didn't want to, but also seemed intelligent enough to know he didn't really have a choice at this point. Making a point to slowly pull his hand away from his weapon, he only started forwards once the guards had lowered their weapons. Even so, he noticeably kept his battered helmet in place as he reluctantly settled down beside Malir, going so far as to polarize his visor to prevent us from seeing where his glowing eyes were looking.

Most of the attention in the room noticeably fell upon him as a result, and a tense silence filled the place for the handful of minutes it took for the fifth and last trophy taker currently on station to arrive.

Vorcha-teeth anklets clattered as she strode cockily out of the airlock, not so much as pausing at the sight of everyone waiting for her, metallic chimes from the dog-tags hung around her neck joining the noise. She was about Voya's height, with about the same overall build... though Voya would never have been caught dead in the bright teal armor that the other woman was wearing. The coloration was bright enough that it was almost easy to miss the pistol and SMG that she had on either side of her belt, and, like Reszad, it was easy to see that she had plenty of explosives on her.

"Hah!" Her voice was almost wickedly merry as she approached, paying the soldiers no more attention than Malir had. "I knew it!"

There was a quiet sigh from Voya, echoed by a much deeper one from Malir. I blinked and glanced between them just as the former spoke, "I see your sense in fashion hasn't improved, Halia."

"And I," Halia'kul vas Antiva replied, "See yours hasn't either. Honestly, navy and silver? They don't do anything for your coloration."

"Halia." Malir rumbled darkly, "Sit down so we can get this over with."

Her head cocked to one side as she reached the table. "Malir... and Reszad. Here I was hoping that even Omega had some standards about who they'd let on station."

Malir's mouth twitched while Reszad noticeably tensed in anger, though Deshi surprisingly beat either of them to the punch. The young man growled softly, jerking a hand towards the empty seat before his normally soft voice snapped out. "Shut up and sit down."

Halia turned slightly to regard him more properly, her gleaming eyes narrowed behind her armored mask. "Little Deshi'roa... finally found a spine, did you?"

While the young man bristled, it was Voya who actually moved. She didn't say anything, instead simply rising to her feet in a single smooth motion that left both of her hands planted on the table as she glared at the other woman.

Halia'kul didn't quite flinch, but she did go still for a long breath before exhaling heavily through her helmet. After another silent moment she irritably reached up to yank it off, revealing long hair done up in a bun to fit beneath the protection, and features a bit more comely than Voya's.

"Fine." She muttered, forked tongue flicking over her lips as she took the chair. "None of you ever let me have fun."

"There," Malir dipped his head towards Voya in silent thanks, "Is a very good reason for that. We ready to get this over with then?"

"Yes." Voya exhaled, remaining standing. "Do I have to waste my breath explaining why we're all here?"

Reszad let out an annoyed sound, "Yes, because what the fuck is that human even doing here? This is an Taker's matter, a Quarian one, and-"

"Please." Halia all but hissed, having already shifted her chair far closer to me than to him. "You hardly qualify as Quarian, and it's obvious isn't it? Chi is going to lay down the law, _his_ law, in specific. Let me guess," Her head swung around to let her regard me without any real expression, "We're to not hunt any of those 'New Cerberus' creeps, or those black and red armored commandos you've been sheltering, or any of yours?"

I felt my mouth twitch a little as I found myself liking her already. "Essentially."

While she rolled her eyes and sighed, Reszad all but surged to his feet. "What!? Chi, is this your idea of a-"

Malir, without so much as looking away from where his eyes were fixed on me, snapped a brawny arm up, seized the smaller man by the shoulder, and all but slammed his ass back into his seat. Ignoring the startled sound of pain from his victim, his deep rumble of a voice emerged, "Obviously this is serious, that is why we are surrounded by combat veterans who will kill us if we continue to disrespect their Director."

"I don't care if you do or don't respect me," My head shook as I spoke, "They're here to prevent any misunderstandings, nothing more."

The broad features pulled into a frown, then he seemed to grunt as the wave hit the beach. "Ah. Sensible, your hair would make a rather respectable trophy."

My fingers twitched a little closer to the pistol on my belt, though I thought that I managed to not show any other reaction. Trying to ignore the unsettling comment as best I could after that, I returned to the primary topic, "Miss Kul is essentially correct."

Malir continued to regard me, speaking over Reszad even as he tried to bitch again, "And why should we believe that you have power over us?"

Voya handled that, "Because, by the current projections, the Blades will be the second largest employer of our people after the Lady within the next standard year. The High Elder is extending a portion of the courtesy that we give to T'Ravt to the Blades' Director as a result."

That drew a round of surprised noises from the three non-Blades present, though it was Halia who spoke next, "Interesting. I hadn't thought that your growth was that exceptional."

My lover shrugged, "Second only to Bluewind Securities over the past two years, at least in absolute numbers. Our recent contracts have enabled us to build up a rather significant war chest, and we intend to invest it."

If nothing else, we certainly had Malir's intention, "In the District?"

"Only partially. Most of it is going to our existing compounds." Voya corrected, "And to build up our new facility on Redcliffe."

The colony's name nearly drew a grimace to my features. I'd known that Ayle had been negotiating hard with T'Ravt for the rights to establish a complex there long before we'd even adjusted our internal organization, but I hadn't really expected her to succeed. Ayle being Ayle, she hadn't merely succeeded, she'd gone well above and fucking beyond. In addition to the rights to establish a military complex on planet, she'd convinced the Lady to all but give us fucking Hintertown and the rusting base that Mascal had once directed his planetary campaign from.

There was, of course, an angle; Redcliffe was all but in open rebellion against T'Ravt outside of Capital City and it's surrounding region. She'd given that to the former slaves of the world in a bid to establish their loyalty and create a new ruling class, but it had backfired when the oppressed had gone all-in on becoming the new oppressors far more quickly than she'd probably planned. With a lot of her military already bogged down dealing with other garrison matters in the territory she'd taken from Ganar, she'd decided to bring in both us and Bluewind Securities. They would take the southern continent, while we handled the northern.

The basic plan, such as it currently was, would see both essentially become the local branch of her military and tasked with suppressing the resistance. Our own plan was to try and handle that by hiring the more open-minded of them away, just as we had most of Zaen's old militia. Of course that would still have tens of thousands too stubborn to take us up on the offer, and they'd still have to be dealt with one way or the other.

The Xenthan Branch was thusly sending three of their four brigades, fifteen full regiments, to the planet to get to work on the Lady's payroll. They would probably stay there long-term, be joined by whatever regiments Idas managed to raise from Redcliffe, and would leave a gap in our planned Traverse deployments as a result. Further, where we'd once had difficulties in selecting acceptable recruits from the volume of applicants, these days we were getting perilously close to having the opposite problem.

Illium Minor was effectively tapped out, as was Omega in general, since the various other lessers were all hiring and were far less discriminating than we were. We'd never drawn many recruits from the Traverse, and those numbers had only dropped as the more piratical and less pragmatic elements of the Terminus had relocated during and after the last war. Nynsi wasn't helping when it came to the Hegemony, with her isolated branch absorbing a large number of exiled Traditionalists eager to use their membership as a loophole to return home... and the competition on Xentha with Bluewave and the Ragged Fang was becoming fierce. As a result, our last few months had seen a steady shift towards Asari-dominant recruiting classes, as we were one of the few foreign groups that Sederis allowed to operate on her worlds.

"We intend," I exhaled, "With the High Elder's permission, to begin a major recruiting drive in the Old District, the Marches, Kalica, and in Vacua City on Antiva. Combat and support positions, wages are steady regardless of species. In exchange, we will be arranging war games between the Guard and those units still on Xentha, as well as lowering our profit margin on any supplies our sub-corporations sell to the Guard."

Malir grunted. "How low?"

"Depends on what it is," I shrugged, "Down to one or two percent, for the most part."

Halia hummed softly, "You get recruits and protection, we get Illium-made weapons and armor, plus a bit of training. Not a bad little deal."

Evidently, Reszad disagreed, "Not a bad deal? Are you insane? You know what this asshole's policies are, he's going to gut the Guard to fill his own ranks!"

Voya game him a scathing look, "You think the Elders are so stupid? Our admin team is still trying to work through the mountain of datafiles and rules that those old fools sent us."

"And," Deshi spoke softly, "That isn't the main point today."

There was a deep grunt from Malir, "Chi, you've got the seal?"

In response Voya carefully pulled a small tablet up from where it had been sitting in her lap, and pushed it across the table. The large man reached out and took it, his eyes focusing as he quickly read through the only file on the device. Halia waited patiently on my left, but Reszad was practically quivering in impatience.

"It's official." He rumbled eventually, "Sesh, you're to abandon your pursuit of the Salarian."

"What!?" The exclamation came as hands ripped the tablet away, the other Taker's upper lip curling away from his teeth as he frantically read. "This is... no! The Salarian isn't even a member of the Blades!"

Halia stirred slightly in her chair, and something about her abrupt focus on Reszad reminded me of a shark sighting in on prey, though he was too occupied fuming to notice.

"The Elder," Malir replied flatly, "Is extending the Director a courtesy. It's not your place to argue, _bosh'tet_."

"Then I'll contact my own elders!" Reszad spat, "And why the fuck should we have to leave those psychopathic monkeys alone as well? The Blades, fine, fucking hate it, but fine! But they aren't the Lady, this... this... _courtesy_ is too fucking far!"

Voya's eyes narrowed, her shoulders lowering as if she was getting ready to leap over the table. "Are you going to refuse a direct order from the High Elder?"

Reszad glared right back at her, "Was this approved by the combined elders? Because I don't think they'll be happy to hear that that doddering old _keshin_ -"

Halia all but exploded out of her seat before he could finish the insult, having apparently gathered her feet beneath her on the chair. It went flying back as she vaulted the table, striking Reszad in a full body tackle that carried them both to the floor before the soldiers around us could get their weapons in line.

I snapped a hand up before any of them could start shooting, noting that Malir had merely turned his head to watch the struggle. A quick glance at Voya saw her upper lip pulled back from her teeth in a display of utter annoyance, her body practically vibrating in place as she forced herself to remain seated.

"She's his niece." I glanced at Deshi as he spoke, his voice barely audible over the two takers now rolling around on the floor, both trying to stop the other from drawing a weapon even as they beat on each other. Reszad's sniper rifle went flying off to a corner, Halia's sub-machine gun going in the opposite direction a moment later. "The High Elder's, I mean."

"Ah." I responded. "Doesn't like her uncle being insulted then?"

"No." Malir replied, calmly sipping from his brandy as if nothing was happening. "She doesn't. Fool should have known better than to lose his temper, she's been waiting for an excuse for years."

I lifted an eyebrow, glancing at the fight again. Reszad had managed to draw his pistol only to have it knocked out of his hands, though he threw a vicious punch into her elbow that saw Halia yelp and drop the knife her own free hand had pulled out from behind her back. "I didn't know you were allowed to kill each other over insults?"

Malir's lips twitched, "We aren't, but brawls over the honor of a family aren't uncommon however, particularly between Antivans."

"And," Voya added, her voice low and hot. "Accidents happen."

An apparent accident was currently occurring nearby, Halia managing to worm her way behind Reszad before using some trick to unlock the armored collar around his neck. His frantic efforts to struggle free redoubled, but she took his blows with snarls of pain even as she wrapped an arm around his neck. Ridiculously strong Quarian legs snapped tight around his torso, pinning his arms in place, stopping him from throwing elbows into her or grabbing a grenade from his belt.

A professional can choke someone out in seconds, and kill them not long after.

Halia made him suffer.

The twitching began to slow after a minute, and ceased altogether after two. She kept her hold on for a good four minutes, during which I waved for one of the soldiers to refill all of our glasses. Only after that she was very sure that Reszad wasn't waking up did Halia let go, pushing him aside before rolling to straddle his body. His helmet was ripped away with a few moments worth of work.

She leaned over his face for a moment, her body blocking what her hands were doing. A moment later there was a harsh twist of her torso, and when she stood up I could see a bloody canine in her fingers.

"Finished?" Malir asked.

"Yes." The woman purred, her voice purring with the same low, almost lustful tones that Voya would lapse into after indulging in violence. "I've been wanting to do that since we were children."

I lifted an eyebrow, my own words coming out dry. "Try not to sound so satisfied."

She let out a wicked little laugh as she approached the table, tucking her little trophy away into a pouch on her belt. "I think I could like you, human. What's next? A job offer, I'm assuming, you wouldn't have met with us in person for something as minor as a message."

My lips twitched again as she sat down. Dangerous and intelligent, I rather liked that combination. "Something like that."

Voya gave me an annoyed look, exhaling sharply through her petite nose as she glanced between the two takers. "The offer is going to be open."

That seemed to get Malir's attention, "You want more of your commando teams... your Lancers." When I nodded, he did the same, clearly turning the idea over in his head. "Restrictions?"

"The same as any other employee." I informed him seriously, "You'd be expected to follow orders, and to not risk yourselves merely to claim a trophy. I don't care if you do pick up a few during an engagement; just don't risk yourselves or others. You'll also likely not be on all-Quarian teams, I don't care to divide along species lines."

He frowned slightly. "Who would they be ordered around by?"

"Myself, usually." I replied, "The Director is going to retain control of the teams, though I do occasionally subordinate them to various regimental commanders on an ad-hoc basis as the missions may require it."

"Whatever." Halia cut in before he could, "What's the pay?"

I told her.

Her eyes widened sharply, "That's... what? Monthly?"

Voya smirked, "Bi-weekly."

She made a choking sound, leaving Malir to glance at Voya and Deshi. "That what you both are making?"

"I make more." Deshi offered quietly, "She makes a lot more. Veteran raises."

"Combat bonuses?"

The younger man shook his head, "None, part of why the base salary is so high."

"Interested?" I asked, feeling as though the question was rhetorical.

Malir pursed his lips, then twitched a broad shoulder in a shrug. "Yes, but I have other affairs to resolve, and I would prefer to observe for a time before committing. I will carry your offer to those others I am on speaking terms with."

"All I can ask." I bowed my head slightly, glancing at Halia. "And you?"

"I... want some paperwork first." She hedged, but there was a distinctly avaricious gleam in her glowing eyes. "Organization chart, regs, that kind of thing."

"Of course. You can accompany us back to Illium Minor if you wish, I'll have someone get that ready for you."

There was a nod as our meeting came to a natural conclusion. Malir departed first, pulling his helmet on before heading through the airlock alone. We gave him his space, everyone else replacing their own headgear before one of the troopers overrode the airlock to stand open for us.

Our little group filed out in order, with the half-squad of combat engineers electing to move out in front in close order while the full squad of line soldiers formed up in a double-line behind us. The formation plunged into the packed environs of the club, and from the quiet mutters I heard in my ear-piece, the engineers quickly began to regret volunteering to take point as the crowd protested being pushed back.

We left Reszad's corpse behind, Aria's people would deal with it, and whatever gear he'd had on him would work as their tip for doing so.

"So." Halia's voice came across our helmet communications after Voya connected her, our movements held up by a pair of Krogan engaged in a headbutting contest at the top of the nearest stairwell. "Why can't we kill the excess?"

"I need them alive." I replied blandly.

She scoffed, "Not even a hint?"

"I just gave you one."

That drew a snort, her helmet swinging to glance at Voya. "First Leski, now him. You do know how to pick them."

My metaphorical ears perked up as Voya let out a startled hiss. "Halia."

"Oh calm down." The other woman waved a blood-covered hand in an airy fashion. "It was a compliment. Unless... oh keelah, you haven't told the heir yet, have you? He's still single."

"No." She replied shortly, her body language screaming that Halia should drop the topic.

"Going to be a mess." A shrug, "Just saying."

Reaching up to my helmet, I shifted to our private frequency. "Voya?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

Her tone didn't exactly give me confidence, and I sighed. "The rich kid you had picked out before Omega?"

Her fingers twitched. "Cieran. Drop it."

I pursed my lips, but this wasn't exactly the place for that kind of discussion. Exhaling irritably, I made a show of nodding before switching back to the general channel to change the subject.

"So." I asked as several of the club's bouncers finally reached the brawling Krogan. One of them was an Elcor, and he wasted little time in simply bowling the idiots aside and booming out declarations of their idiocy. "You two know each other?"

"Most takers do." Halia replied, not apparently caring that we'd briefly cut her out of the conversation. "But yes, this little _kolsha_ and I did our time in the Lady's army together. I helped her figure out how to actually use a sniper rifle. She worked me through the first tier of blade dancing in exchange."

Voya scoffed, "For all the good it apparently did. _Keelah,_ watching you flail around on the floor was agonizing."

The other woman's tones became annoyed as we got moving again, filing down the now-cleared stairwell, "Not all of us can be blessed by the ancestors when it comes to close combat."

"Is that going to be your excuse when even our recruits can beat you senseless?"

"You're being awfully fucking rude, considering I hardly ever tell the story of your first day as an officer."

There was an almost hissing snarl, "That weapon _was_ sabotaged."

I could only shake my head and stay out of it, half-listening as the two argued about various incidents from their time in the Lady Warlord's army, half-people watching as we descended another level, then headed for the main stairwell that would lead us to the closest exit.

A soft curse was my first warning, making my back straighten as the low voice of the engineer's Half-Squad Leader interrupted Halia. " _Director, Ha'diq_ _ul Shinvec is just ahead. He's seen us and is moving to block the stairwell."_

"Athame's..." I cut off my own curse, "Entourage?"

" _At least a dozen, maybe more."_ The Batarian reported as our lead formation slowed to a stop, the usual crowd of partiers quickly backing away as they sensed the imminent confrontation. " _Orders?"_

I rapidly considered our options. As much as I would have loved to kill the _keshin,_ Afterlife was _not_ the place to start a shoot out with a rival Warlord. Aria would kill us both, slowly, and while Shinvec was slaving scum, he wasn't _stupid_ slaving scum. He wanted to talk... the question was, about what, and how civil he would be during said conversation.

"Split apart by half-squads, cover both flanks and the rear. Fire _only_ if fired upon, regardless of provocation." I ordered, leaving it to them to work out the division of labor. "Voya, on my left. Deshi, Halia, stay back with the rear-guard."

The last Quarian made an annoyed sound, probably because I was already giving her orders, but she didn't otherwise complain and fell back a bit as Voya and I accelerated just enough to take the lead.

Ahead of us, Shinvec likewise separated from his people, with only a single Turian shadowing his steps. Both were in heavy armor painted in a matte gray, a pair of blood colored chevrons acting as the icon for the slaver's organization, and both had the sense to have their helmets on.

Afterlife might have technically been neutral ground, but no one with any sense took chances. Plus the goddess-damned air in here was so loaded with drugs that it probably qualified as a chemical weapon.

"Kean." Shinvec's smooth voice emerged from his helmet, the Batarian male crossing his arms high on chest as he lowered his chin to the right.

"Shinvec." I replied equally as flatly, matching his posture exactly. "What do you want?"

"I want many things... your head on a pike for one." He offered conversationally, "But alas, the Pillars have yet to guide me to that path."

"They haven't led me to the means to kill you without Aria noticing either." I exhaled heavily between my teeth, making my annoyance clear. "Get out of the way."

"There are five other stairs leading to the main floor." The ass sounded amused, "Feel free to use another."

And back down, admit that he'd held me back? It was a petty little thing, stupid really, but the last thing I wanted was to give him even the slightest bit of confidence. "I'm rather set on the one behind you."

Shinvec twitched an armored shoulder, "Then we seem to be an impasse, for I am disinclined to move."

"I assumed as much, and now you're making me repeat myself. What do you want?"

He made an obnoxious show of considering it for several moments before responding, "What brought you out from your little hole? You normally refuse to associate with our queen except for those times she demands your presence."

There were very good reasons for that. "And you think I'll actually give you an answer? Have you been imbibing too many of your own products?"

"Breaking in too many new pets maybe." He replied conversationally, "Perhaps I'm going soft, I really should just brand them and let the clientele handle it."

Anger abruptly crested somewhere inside my chest, and I felt my body shift position to reflect it. "It must be difficult to handle all of that on your own, without your brother around. Or did you keep the skull that we mailed you? Such a failure of leadership, letting him go with on the raid to New Canton when you had to know that we had a regiment there..."

The Batarian Warlord lowered his shoulders, his chin likewise dropping as his own veneer of control came close to snapping. "I haven't forgotten that, _monkey._ "

"Good." I replied, "The point of it was to be memorable, I'd have had to break out the video of what we did to him if you'd become so asinine as to have forgotten. Nel was very... creative, and quite good at keeping him alive and conscious."

His fists shook, and his Turian guard was clearly itching to grab his weapon, but both restrained the urge.

"One day, one very fine, Pillars' blessed day, you will _die in agony,_ and your transgressions against my faith will be cleared. On that day, I'm going to find that purple skinned Asari bitch and... chastise her." He sucked in a sharp breath, seeming to regain some measure of control, "I have a new collar, you see. Applies chemical inhibitors that can prevent Asari from melding while the usual systems control their biotics. I will _use_ that little whore, _break_ her."

My helmet stopped him from seeing my sneer, but I made sure it came across in my posture. "I'll believe that when I see it."

A vicious little laugh came from him, "I have ample video evidence, monkey, I'll be sure to send it to you. Perhaps the stars will be little maidens, like your daughter."

It was my turn to nearly lose my self control, the implied threat that he would rape and enslave Erana causing my hand to stray towards my pistol before I fought back the urge. Voya's self control was clearly wearing thin on my left, her fingers clenching and unclenching, and behind me I could see more than a few of my soldiers clearly fighting the urge to shoot the asshole on my behalf.

Before our mixture of threats and insults could devolve further, or turn into actual violence, a furious Turian voice cut across the low beat of the club's music.

"That is _enough."_ I snapped my attention to the left as Nyreen Kandros, her body swathed in armor and red-colored robes that hid her ridiculous levels of cybernetics, stormed out of the crowd. A good two or three dozen of Aria's people followed her, and a glance up revealed more taking up spots on higher platforms. "Spirits but I have even less patience for your little rivalry than normal."

Shinvec bristled visibly, while I exhaled through my teeth and forced my hands behind my back, falling into an at-rest position.

The former leader of the Talons, now Aria's de-facto second in command, waited to see if either of us would speak. When we weren't that stupid, she let out a flanging growl and resumed, "Shinvec, get your ass back down to Tuhi and finish the preparations. The first warlords will be arriving soon, and since your docks are going to handle the early arrivals Aria _won't_ tolerate excuses."

His head twitched into something like a nod, and then he turned to all but storm down the stairs. The guards and soldiers he'd brought with trailed after him, hateful glances translating even through their visors as they did. My people were disciplined enough to not taunt them as they departed, though I did see a few offering rude gestures in ways that stopped Nyreen from catching them.

"And _you,"_ Said Turian rounded on me, "Aria let you use that room as a courtesy, but if you're going to pick fights with everyone who doesn't abide by your rules you're going to have problems."

"I'm not stupid." I replied irritably, "I'd never break the One Rule. And you hate that fuck as much as I do."

Nyreen didn't dignify that with a response, instead simply crossing her arms. "Is Illium Minor prepared to handle the incoming?"

"Yes." I growled, not at all happy about the reminder. "It's still weeks out, you don't have to keep harping on it."

"Considering who is going to be docking there?" She replied, "I'll be asking you every shift just to make sure you aren't going to try and get out of it."

My upper lip twitched back from my teeth, but I managed to nod. "We'll be ready to host them."

"Good." A clawed hand waved, "Now get out of here before you almost start another war."

We did so, heading down the same stairs that Shinvec had taken, though I kept my pace slow enough to make sure that the ass stayed well ahead of us. He wouldn't try anything, not now that Nyreen had made it abundantly clear that Aria was watching us closely, but his people might not have his level of self-control. Or intelligence.

"He really does hate slavers, doesn't he?" Halia reminded me that she was with by speaking up.

"He does." Voya replied, "Though we haven't had as many chances to kill them lately."

"Shame." The other woman sighed, "That's always a pleasant way to spend a week or two. What was that bit at the end, about the incoming?"

"The campaign." I pursed my lips. "As many ships are gathering here as are heading for Stormwall. They'll follow it up with leave, strategy shit, and a bunch of other crap that's going to make this station too bloody crowded before they go off to fight Geth."

Her tones became annoyed. "I know all of that crap, I meant why are you so annoyed about it? Everyone is eager for the payday... I mean, _keelah,_ didn't you get assigned the detachment that the Lady is sending? They'll have more than enough cash to buck up your economy a bit. Better than getting some two-bit Salarian core-ward slaver."

That was only partially true. I could have probably gotten away with shooting the slaver if they annoyed me, and Aria might not have cared all that much if I played my cards right. I couldn't, however, shoot the Admiral commanding the task force that Lady T'Ravt was loaning to the campaign.

I'd given her my word that I wouldn't kill her, after all.

"It's complicated." I replied shortly. "If you actually do join today, we can discuss it at a bar after I've had at least three drinks."

There was an almost amused purr to her voice, "I do love a good story... can we walk any faster? The sooner I review the details the sooner you can pay me. And buy me drinks."

Voya let out a very annoyed mewling sound, one that I partially echoed as I felt the day grow even longer.

Dammit... I really hoped that Shepard and Lawson were as irritated as I was.

* * *

 ** **Imperfect Glass** **

**Date:** 08-19-2186

 **Location:** Freedom's Progress, Attican Traverse

* * *

EDI's avatar smoothly guided our Kodiak shuttle down towards the colony's only starport, giving us time to observe the ground as the craft ahead of us hunted for landing spots. There were plenty available, all raised platforms above broken ground, connected by catwalks and ramps.

Shepard's team had taken one of Kean's messenger pinnaces, the large, boxy craft settling down onto one of the larger platforms as its maneuvering fins swung sideways. Nearby, two Batarian built shuttles only a little larger than our own began their own landings, clearly aiming to flank the pinnace on either side.

Either to protect the Spectre's flanks, or to make sure they were in place to keep eyes on her.

"There." I instructed from the co-pilot's seat, "Put us down next to Shepard."

"Yes Miss Lawson." The AI replied, thankfully not offering any of the snark that EVA had begun indulging in. "I am not detecting any movement below, however there is an anomaly on platform nine."

Pursing my lips, I flicked my eyes around until I located the landing area in question. A bizarrely shaped vessel was perched there, a rotating wheel bisected by a rectangular core that featured engines protruding from one end and a glass bridge from the other. The contours were battered, pitted, worn, but someone had gone through the effort of repainting the ship, clearly making a dedicated effort to make it a bit more presentable.

" _Noril_ class." I murmured, frowning at it. "What is a Migrant courier doing here?"

"Unknown." EDI hummed as she brought us down behind Shepard's pinnace, metal fingers moving across the controls with inhuman speed to put the craft into stand-by mode.

Leaving it... _her_ to handle that, I rose from my seat and headed into the shuttle's rear. Jacob, clad in heavy armor sans helmet, glanced up as I did. Like my own lighter gear, it was painted a matte black with orange highlights, but lacking any markings or logos that would reveal just who we were.

"Ready?" I asked, sure I knew the answer.

"Of course." He replied, rising to his feet, hands offering the rifle he'd been holding. I accepted it, checking it before collapsing the weapon and racking it on my back before double-checking the Phalanx I had on my belt. While I did that, he turned around and retrieved his own arms from the locker beside the bench; his own Harrier, a heavily modified Katana shotgun, and a massive M-560 Hydra missile launcher.

"Hope we don't have use this." He admitted, carefully positioning the weapon on his own back.

"As do I." I replied.

Perhaps thirty seconds later, EDI emerged, her synthetic body hidden beneath her own armor and helmet, weapons that matched my own already secured to the appropriate locations.

"All right." I spoke, not yet opening the hatch. "Remember, we are here on Shepard's suffrage. Obey her orders unless it is clear that we are being sacrificed to allow others to survive. EDI, I want you to monitor the Blades' communications. They will likely be operating under the same premise, but I believe it possible that they may keep evidence to themselves if they think they can get away with it."

Jacob snorted. "And even if they can't."

I pursed my lips a little. "Jacob, do try to not antagonize them. The marines may lack Kean's tolerance and restraint."

His handsome face twisted in distaste, but he nodded before pulling his helmet on. "I'll be civil if they are."

They wouldn't be, and we both knew it... but I also knew that I wasn't going to get anything better from him. Jacob was a good man, but even he had his weaknesses. An inability to tolerate the darker elements of the galaxy, even peripherally, was one of them. It was part of what had made him one of the best field agents that the Corsairs had ever had, given him the drive to always accomplish his objectives, to always rescue those believed lost.

Unfortunately he wasn't a Corsair anymore, and he was too skilled for me to simply send him to Peregrine to help organize things. I needed his tactical awareness, his abilities with weaponry, the... paranoia he showed about everything little thing that our 'allies' said or did. He hated it, and I didn't like using him like that, but it was necessary.

The memory of Harper saying such a thing on numerous occasions made a little serpent of self-loathing rise up before I could throttle it, and I wasted a few seconds ruthlessly pushing it back down. Now wasn't the time for introspection.

"Let's go." I instructed, keeping my voice cool and even, the heavy door swinging upwards at the press of a button.

They followed as I stepped outside, the cold wind of the colony promptly cutting across my face. I scowled at the sensation, pulling my helmet off of my belt and putting it into its proper place. The HUD updated as it connected to my armor and omni-tool, icons flashing as it automatically linked to Shepard's own command network, showing me the positions of all six of her people and the status of their gear.

In contrast, the Blades remained mostly hidden, their paranoid dismissal of modern info-warfare techniques evident. I supposed I could understand it, given the environments they typically worked in, but it made working with them irritatingly difficult.

"Lawson." Shepard's black helmet swung in my direction as we approached, the red striping on her team done in the same style as my orange. With any luck, any observers would simply assume the colors to be squad markers. "We haven't picked up any signs of life, but there are still some kind of active signals moving around the colony."

I frowned, "EDI?"

The mech went still for three seconds, then shook her head, "There are no active transmissions on any frequency. Whatever is mobile is not communicating."

"Damn." The Commander muttered, "Mechs maybe? With their radio's disabled?"

My frown deepened. "That would be extremely inefficient. Whoever runs them won't be able to update their commands or direct them, except perhaps through direct voice commands."

"Inefficient." Shepard agreed quietly, "But if someone hacked your network, and you were panicking... that might have been their only option."

"Point." I admitted with a grimace, "Plan?"

She exhaled, "We'll have to assume they're hostile until proven otherwise, and that we might not be alone here. You saw the Quarian ship?" When I nodded, she continued, "I'm going to have the marines from the _Dusk Blade_ secure this area and watch our way out. The rest of us, plus the squad from the _Will'o'wisp,_ will head with us towards the colony's command center."

"As one group?"

A quick shake of her head, "We're here for evidence and I want maximum coverage. We'll split by teams, take four adjacent roads. I want your team on the left."

I nodded, bringing up a map onto my omni-tool. She quickly pointed out the road that she wanted us on, the meandering route looking to be fairly narrow and enclosed, though possessing plenty of side streets and alleys that would let us link up with the others if we had to. The Silver Blades marines arrived in the middle of the impromptu briefing, and quickly received their own tasks. They complied with no arguments, but also without offering any opinions either.

Shepard didn't take up that much more time, quickly getting everyone going as soon as she was sure we all were clear on our objective and plan.

Entering the colony proper was a new experience, and one that I could have quite done without.

We moved into the first few buildings to check them over quickly, which proved to inspire more tension even as it failed to provide any answers. Plates of breakfast sat cold on tables, most of them half-eaten. Nearby chairs were thrown back, silverware often scattered about with smaller pieces of food, which painted a rather bleak picture when combined with the occasional weapon kept near chairs or doors.

They'd had enough time to see whatever was coming for them, to panic... but not enough time to reach weapons often not more than a meter away.

"EDI?" I asked quietly.

The artificial intelligence didn't need me to elaborate further. "There is no overt evidence. Assuming the colonists were within human averages, whatever subdued them did so within three seconds. Presuming that the weapons were not replaced after being drawn."

Three seconds... Christ. "Check them. Jacob?"

He stepped back into the kitchen from the hall leading to the bedrooms, "Nothing. One room might have been a kid's, blankets are in a corner. Think something else threw them off of whoever was in there."

My imagination helpfully provided the image of a young child, hearing their parents shout, hiding beneath their blankets... and then having a monster tear them off.

I sucked in a slow, hard breath. "We need to continue moving."

They fell in without a word, EDI merely storing the information, showing her growing wisdom. We departed the building, falling into our standard formation. EDI and I took either side of the street, moving in short sprints from one piece of cover to another. Jacob stayed on my side, staying two spots back to provide cover for either of us.

We made it another block, finding nothing but more empty prefabricated buildings that I didn't care to go into, before the first questions came across our comms.

" _Sergeant Holt."_ Shepard's voice was low and furious. " _Was Novgorod like this?"_

The Squad Leader paused noticeably before answering, possibly annoyed that she didn't use the Blades version of his rank, possibly choosing his words carefully before replying.

" _Similar."_ The Batarian replied eventually. " _There are fewer signs of battle here, likely meaning that there were few or no non-humans present."_

"Next to none." I confirmed, joining the conversation, "This was a major recruiting hub for Cerberus. They tolerated the occasional Quarian and Volus, but only as visitors or business envoys, and no others."

Tora ul Holt grunted. " _Morons... wait one. We've got a destroyed Geth up ahead."_

I sucked in a sharp breath, though Shepard beat me to the question, " _Evidence of what took it out?"_

 _"Security mechs."_ He provided after a moment. " _There's three in pieces near it. Two LOKI's, something that might have been a HL-20."_

A little bit of tension eased out of me. "Local security probably, they had a sizable number of both types."

Shepard made an affirming sound, " _Be alert for active units, that may explain the power sources. Lawson, did they have anything heavier?"_

Thoughts shifted as I filed through my memory, mental papers rustling. "At least a detachment of heavy mechs, eight YMIR's according to our last report, but those should be positioned at the militia towers around the perimeter."

There was a low curse in Khar'tok before Holt spoke again, " _We're approaching colonial tower two, I'm sending my sniper and engineer up to look for movement."_

It was Shepard's turn to pause, words coming out almost reluctantly, " _Very well. Garrus, Lawson, continue on."_

We both confirmed that, and my team's pace noticeably slowed as a result. EDI's sensors were top of the line, the best that could be fitted to the slim, humanoid body, but they were still rather limited. Especially as we hadn't been able to deploy a proper satellite network above the world, and the one that the colonists had setup was noticeable for its absence.

Our first evidence came in around the fifth block, as we started to come across destroyed mechs and shredded Geth. There were far more of the former than the latter, and I didn't need EDI's analyzation suites to notice that a few of the mechs seemed to have been shot by the others rather than by Geth. Whoever had re-programmed them had done so in a rush, probably resetting the IFF sensors down to the barest levels. The various models had likely started engaging each other... possibly along with anything else that happened to be mobile.

I found more evidence for that in the next street, a poor dog clearly having been shot down by human built weapons rather than Geth plasma.

"Shepard." I commed her, "I have evidence that the mechs are engaging anything that moves, possibly including each other."

" _Confirmed."_ She replied shortly, " _We have evidence of another player, probably Quarians. Full squad of mechs downed at the intersection of fifth and blue."_

My eyes flicked to the map on my HUD, and I pursed my lips as I realized that Shepard was already two blocks ahead of us. Kean evidently hadn't been exaggerating when he'd warned me about her propensity for getting too far ahead of her support.

Before I could join in, a shockingly young voice cut in on a priority line, a girl speaking English with a Batarian accent so thick that I needed to focus to pick out the content. " _Nor' ease, can she laghts. Mechs ahttacking."_

Distant sounds of gunfire echoed in the far distance, providing credence to her words even as Shepard demanded to know who was speaking.

" _Victoria, my sniper."_ Holt provided, translating for the woman's futile attempt at being polite. " _We have mechs engaging migrants two blocks north, one east. Base of tower four."_

" _All teams move."_ Shepard promptly snapped, " _If anyone has answers, they'll have them. We secure their perimeter and join them."_

Vakarian and I clicked our comms to indicate our understanding, while Holt informed her that he'd move as soon as his people got back down to the ground. At a gesture from me, EDI lengthened her strides, accelerating beyond even Turian ground speed as she tore off ahead of Jacob and I to act as a scout.

The sounds of gunfire, punctuated by the ionized shrieks of Flotilla weaponry, grew in volume as we moved, EDI beginning to rattle off the details without needing to pause for breath.

" _There are nearly two dozen mechs, all LOKI models engaging approximately six Quarians. Two additional Quarians are dead on the ground. The others have secured on the ground floor of tower four and have established a kill zone_." Her voice shifted, becoming directly audible as we drew closer. "Vakarian's team has already arrived. He has destroyed three mechs. Shepard's team is relocating to the north to establish enfilade fire."

I glanced at the map, noting that such a position would leave all three groups evenly spaced around the mechs, pinning them neatly against the Quarians' defenses. "We're less than a minute out."

"Confirmed." She replied.

We arrived at the small parking area at the base of the tower, my breathing still even, though I could hear Jacob's deepening a bit. He was more than merely in shape, but sprinting around in heavy armor with a missile launcher was a taxing chore for anyone. EDI's dark form was crouched behind an aircar, evidently still unnoticed by the mechs. From the sounds and reports now flooding the channel Shepard had already engaged, and the Blades' marines were a few minutes away from joining.

"Engage them, prioritize those closest to the Quarians." I instructed as I fell in behind the corner of a building, drawing my rifle and leaning around to aim.

Mechs were dropping at a steady rate, more heavily in the central zone than the flanks, Vakarian's rifle and Solus' grenades quickly driving the machines into two separate groups to be more readily destroyed. The LOKI models themselves seemed to have been vastly upgraded from their base programming, moving into what cover was available and firing from those positions.

They still weren't anything close to organics, or even Geth, they still remained mostly upright for example, but it was a definite step up from their usual behavior.

The skirmish, such as it was, didn't last very long. My Harrier, joined by my companions, quickly began to throw out heavy rounds that smashed into the machines. Primarily intended for low-key security operations, even slightly upgraded the mechs just weren't up for this level of engagement. Their armor more or less disintegrated beneath the incoming fire, shards of metal flying along with sparks as their electrical systems shorted out.

From the tower itself, the Quarians seemed to become invigorated now that they knew they weren't alone, additional torrents of technical mines, gunfire, electrical arcs, and streams of plasma screaming out to tear into the doomed mechs.

Within three minutes it was over, and Shepard was calmly approaching the tower, Vakarian beside her while the others moved to secure the area. I murmured orders for EDI and Jacob to do the same, then collapsed my weapon and moved to where the Spectre was already conversing with a female Quarian dressed...

I sucked in a sharp breath as I got a better look at her. Like most Migrants, she was far taller than the Xenthans and other Terminus races that I was used to dealing with with, her suit obviously far more advanced, and equipped to allow her to live entirely within it rather than merely intended to shelter her from time to time.

But what drew my attention was the burned and sheared cloth that had obviously once been an elegant outfit, clearly marked with the wicked white markings of the Xen family. The guards, and they were obviously the woman's guards, were similarly attired in actual clothing above their suits and armor, a luxury that Migrants almost never bothered with except on the most formal of occasions.

"...thank you." I arrived just as the Quarian finished thanking Shepard for our assistance, barely noticing the Blades' marines just arriving. "Though I cannot but wonder why you are here, Commander."

I grimaced. Shepard had introduced herself then, entirely violating Sparatus' orders to operate under an alias. Then again, the Flotilla wasn't exactly on speaking terms with the Council even during good years, and right now their cooperation with Aria and her ilk had seen relations bottom out entirely. It was entirely likely that claims of her survival by Migrants would be ignored or dismissed... assuming they bothered to offer the information in the first place.

"We're investigating the colonial disappearances." She provided, giving me a slight nod as I moved to stand quietly on her left. "Along with a few others. Would you mind introducing yourself, and filling me in as to why you are here?"

Glowing eyes blinked, then the woman actually sounded abashed as she gave a little bow. "Ah, my apologies. I am Maro'Xen, appointed negotiator between the Flotilla and this colony. It was to be a trade agreement of minor detail, though critical enough given what comes."

"Supplies." I murmured, joining the conversation. "Medigel I'm assuming, Freedom's Progress had two facilities for producing it. You upgraded their mech defenses in exchange?"

Maro'Xen glanced at me, then nodded slightly. "We have an engineering team along with, we were trying to locate them when the mechs encountered us."

My eyes narrowed slightly behind my visor, "And where were you during the primary attack?"

Her own gleaming orbs became slits. "Elsewhere, obviously. What are you implying?"

Shepard spoke before I could, her helmet turning to make her own glare clear. "I'm sure she meant to ask if you observed what happened, or if you had to defend yourselves."

"I see." Xen evidently didn't believe that, even though that had honestly been what I had meant. Still, she was diplomatic enough to push past the awkward moment. "No, we were returning from a supply run and only arrived a few hours ago. We recorded a few unusual energy signatures, but nothing else."

Vakarian stirred, "And the mechs?"

The Quarian's body language betrayed a flinch, though it was so slight I didn't think that Shepard or Vakarian noticed. "We believe that at least one of our engineers survived, and was responsible for resetting them at some point during the initial attack."

She clearly expected us to immediately blame them for the attack, or else make some kind of comment about how Quarian produced mechs were repeating history. Most people probably wouldn't have been able to resist the urge, and I couldn't really blame her for the cultural expectations. Centuries of Council racism were difficult to overcome for anyone, much less for a group as insular as the Migrants tended to be.

"Interesting." I mused, seizing on the more important part of what she had told us. "Shepard, if they're still alive, they may have seen what happened directly. Perhaps even have recorded evidence that you could take to the Council. Where would they be?"

Xen stared at me for a few moments, then turned to Shepard. "If any of our people are still alive they may not be in the best shape, not if they've gone so far as to program the mechs to engage anything that moves. They will need help."

"Which we will give." Shepard, of course, assured her, "Our priority is helping any survivors."

There might have been a quiet snort from Holt, but he otherwise restrained himself. I settled for pressing my lips together, not quite liking that as our primary focus. It was something we could do, of course, I wasn't heartless... but the cold fact of it was that what we found here could help _thousands_ elsewhere. If leaving a few Quarians to their fates meant discovering crucial intelligence, it was our duty to make the hard choice.

"Where would they be?" The Commander continued, either oblivious to or ignoring the Batarian.

"Likely the militia command post." Came the reply, a helmet dipping towards the west. "They were given a sealed prefab to utilize while they were on-site, it's also near their primary defensive bunkers."

Shepard hesitated, likely considering that, then nodded. "Right. We'll move as a full team. I'll take point. Garrus, Lawson will flank us. If you could, Miss Xen, I'd appreciate it if your people joined Sergeant Holt's marines."

"I will accompany you." Xen replied, her tones becoming something far harder and more implacable. "As well one of my guards, but we have wounded. They have to be moved to our ship immediately."

"Do they require an escort?"

She hesitated, then twitched her head in a nod. "It would be appreciated."

"Holt." The Spectre turned, "Your team will escort them back, then join the other marines to ensure the starport doesn't come under attack."

I couldn't read Batarians as well as Kelly could, but I knew enough to get the general gist. Holt wasn't overly thrilled with the order, with what I thought was a twinge of disrespect thrown in for good measure, but he didn't allow any of that to escape in his tone. "Very well Commander."

Things moved fairly quickly after that. Three of the Migrants quickly organized around a fourth, two of them supporting a man with a bloody leg while the third took up an escorting position. The Blades, though clearly less than thrilled to be escorting Migrants, were professionals and formed up in a solid skirmish formation around their charges.

Xen and her bodyguard shadowed Vakarian at Shepard's insistence, an understandable decision given the aggressive and mobile nature of her fighting style and her probable lack of trust in me. I was sure that she trusted me to keep her alive, to fight beside her, for now anyway, but trusting me to protect a VIP was evidently something else.

Our unusual group set off westwards, Shepard giving concise orders as we integrated our various components into something she considered acceptable. N7 standard formation for combined teams, if my memory was being its usually reliable self; herself as the command center, one subordinate commander (me) forwards, the other (Vakarian) back in case anything happened to the front pair.

So in addition to Jacob and EDI, I more or less had Goto darting alongside of us as the front rank. I could have done without that, the woman redefined the word 'aggravating', but for once she seemed to be focused on the job at hand rather than ghosting around and snarking just for kicks.

Thankfully we didn't have the time for her to grow bored, running into additional mechs after perhaps four minutes.

A full squad of Volus-built HL-20's had been moving on a north-south street across our path, the heavy set machines managing to look even more awkward than the LOKI models. They were far more armored, equipped with pistol caliber barrels built into their wrists, but they were far slower and their weapons positions forced more of them to remain in the open to fire.

Jacob and I fell back to the left side of the street, using a ground car that had come to a rest with its nose against a building for cover. We fell into a quick pattern with familiar ease, starting with the mechs to our left and working our way to the right. Across the way, EDI and Kasumi weren't as coordinated but no less lethal as they destroyed several mechs in a matter of seconds. Of course that still left a respectable number of them, their fire quickly coordinating with machine-level accuracy, forcing us to duck back to give our shields a few moments to recharge.

Shepard and T'Soni handled the lot on our behalf.

The blue-black flare of a singularity screamed into existence in the intersection, hauling four of the mechs up and into the air to spin in crazed circles. While the Asari maiden worked them over with precise shots from her pistol, her bondmate all but blurred past us, easily matching EDI's maximum speed, firing bursts from her Phaeston as she moved.

She didn't miss a single shot, despite adopting a zig-zag pattern that threw off the mech's basic predictive algorithms. Two went down on her approach, their heads and control systems demolished by the precision fire. The remaining three didn't last long after her arrival, the Spectre blasting one apart at full-auto from point-blank range before she turned to the other two.

One advanced a step, throwing a punch towards her torso. Shepard ducked, seized it by the wrist, and then spun her body as her biotics flared. The judotics maneuver flung the thing entirely over her, the mech sailing in an elegant arc that ended when it struck the nearby building two stories up. It fell to the ground even as she turned to the final machine, ignoring the rounds it put into her barriers with terrific disdain before she put her right boot _through_ its torso.

The entire thing occurred within a matter of seconds, and I felt my lips curl in pride. I knew it was conceited of me... but dammit, I'd more than outdone myself.

"Stop looking so smug." Jacob murmured quietly as Shepard waved us forwards once again, the Spectre admonishing all of us for sitting around and watching rather than continuing to advance. "Don't think she'll appreciate it."

"I am not _smug._ " I countered equally as softly as we got moving, "I am _satisfied_. There is a difference."

"Uh huh." He replied, amusement, affection, and a note of caution all working their way through his voice. "Just remember what Kelly ran us through."

I nodded slightly rather than responding verbally. Chambers had run us through more than a few 'lessons' on how to properly interact with both Kean and Shepard. The former was relatively easy in comparison to the latter, given the complications facing the Spectre. Especially since we would _need_ to be on good terms with Shepard both during and beyond the mission to deal with the Collectors. It was more than merely keeping her happy, it was about reassuring her that we were trustworthy, that our goals and her own were not incompatible.

That we weren't the murderous, psychopathic thugs that Harper had allowed the old Cerberus to become.

For now, most of the advice revolved around treating Shepard like a regular human being, and to not, whenever possible, remind her of what she'd become or the death she'd experienced. Me not displaying my very real pride at our accomplishment tied into that, something that I admittedly found difficult whenever Shepard did things like _that._

The westward advance resumed from there, the blocky forms of the colony's primary strong points quickly coming into view despite the evening sun. We ran into a few more mechs along the way, more LOKI's, more HL-20's, and twice a pair of lone FENRIS types, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with easily enough. More important were the additional units of destroyed Geth that we discovered with increasing regularity as we moved on.

"What do you think?" Vakarian asked after Shepard rotated our positions, taking the lead while I fell back.

I pursed my lips, a little surprised that he was talking to me at all, "About the Geth?"

"Yeah."

"A rear-guard." I offered after a few more moments of thought, "A final clean-up crew. Checking over the colony for any survivors or recording systems that may have escaped the initial attack. They were likely still here when whichever Quarians survived managed to get the defensive mechs online. More worrying, honestly, is whatever shut the systems down in the first place."

He let out a quiet, frustrated sound. "That's been bothering me too. These people were beyond paranoid, even paid to bring in Quarian experts despite being hard-core racists... and I didn't see any damage to their GARDIAN towers on the way down."

"We didn't either." I agreed, trying not to show how much that worried me. What that told us was that they the ability to hack down an entire defensive network, while simultaneously releasing sufficient numbers of those cybernetic insects to overwhelm a city with nearly ten thousand people before they could even try and formulate a defense.

Vakarian nodded when I quietly relayed that, the pair of us picking our way over a small field of destroyed machines. "Agreed. Not many colonies left with only one major population center though. If they go for New Canton or Horizon, even Pskov, we might get an actual alert."

"And a better understanding of their capabilities." I agreed, finding myself quietly pleased that he was being realistic.

He nodded and then motioned for me to move ahead, falling back to rejoin Xen and her guard, the Quarians having remained entirely silent except for when Shepard asked for any reports from them. So far all they'd indicated was that they hadn't heard any new signals, and that Holt and their wounded had reached the starport and forted up.

Not that their silence was noticeable as we reached the command center... and the battlefield that surrounded it.

Destroyed mechs carpeted the ground alongside destroyed Geth leaking white fluids across the ground. Most were close to the heavy-set bunkers that had likely been holding the machines, the Geth having briefly held them at the choke-points before sheer numbers had taken their toll. That was even with the fact that many of the local machines had clearly engaged one another, either due to the poor programming, or possibly the Geth managing to hack their attackers.

My eyes drifted right, observing the wreckage, then I zeroed in on a collection of destroyed Geth at the base of a small prefab block that was badly out of place amidst the militaristic structures.

Xen noticed it at the same time, cursed, and then took off before anyone could stop her. Shepard caught up to her within a moment, but made no effort to stop her, instead staying in a close escort pose. The rest of us trailed a bit behind, catching up as we all reached the structure.

Two YMIR mechs, both upgraded combat models that looked more like charred skeletons rather than towering war machines, were slumped near the doors. Personal guards making their final stands to protect the engineers within, I assumed. They'd taken a hell of a lot of Geth with them, including several armatures, but had finally fallen to... a strafing run, if I was reading the lines of damage properly.

That at least told us that the Geth had still had air support at the time the Quarians had tried to activate the defenses.

We found the engineers inside. One was still breathing.

"Veetor." Xen knelt beside a young man, his suit covered in blood, his body shaking violently. "Veetor! _Keelah_ he's in bad shape. Kol, get his medical data."

Her guard crouched down on the wounded man's other side, his omni-tool already online. Leaving them to it, I stepped around Shepard from where she and T'Soni were watching the aliens work, conversing on a private channel almost inaudibly, and instead focused on the computer systems around us.

"EDI." I kept my voice quiet, "Confirm what I'm looking at?"

The AI smoothly moved up on my right, her helmet twitching as she took in the various screens. "It appears to be a sequence of reset commands being sent out to various defensive systems. All but the mechs are still awaiting activation... I am unsure of the implications of this fact."

"A mistake." Another voice entered the conversation, Doctor Solus appearing on my left. He'd removed his helmet, and his aging features were drawn in what passed for solemn sadness on a Salarian. "Hopefully a mistake, other options less pleasant. Panic, the press of a button before the others were ready. Drawing attention before all prepared. Trapped, final commands, the summoning of the heavies."

Then it would have all been over. I exhaled, easily able to imagine the situation as the Doctor ran through it. Eight Quarians, inside their airtight little box, waking up to prepare for the day's work. Seeing the security system collapse as the attack began, doing everything they could to bring them back online. Realizing that everyone else was gone, taken or dead, and that their only hope would be to wait the situation out or else activate all of the colony's systems at once.

One of the eight panicking, out of fear or nerves, and sending the reset out to the mechs before the new command package was complete. Before the colony's GARDIAN defenses could be readied to defend against aerial attacks.

"Xen?" Shepard asked into the tense silence that Solus' words had brought.

"He must have been hidden, beneath the bodies maybe." The diplomat's voice was commendably collected, though an undercurrent of anger ran through it, "Minor wound, but he's reacting to something, and he's been without help for too long. We have to get him back to our ship and into stasis, then to the Flotilla."

The fact that she wasn't optimistic about his chances was clear despite the fact that she didn't say as much aloud. From the way Shepard's shoulders tensed, she heard it just as well as I did.

"Nikita, Kasumi, help them get him moving. Mordin? Help them stabilize him." The Spectre quickly began to adjust her orders. "Lawson, Liara, let's see if we can find anything on these systems."

I frowned. "EDI could easily manage it."

"Yes." She nodded, "But I need her to head outside and see if she can pull anything from the Geth."

It wasn't likely, but if anyone had a chance to do so EDI would be it. Hard data directly from the Geth would be even better than what we could pull from the computers here when it came to convincing the Council, which I was sure was Shepard's angle.

"Sensible." I nodded in reply, "Let's get to work. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can begin to go over what we now know."

* * *

 ** _ _Next up is Press Ganged V__**

 _ _This chapter came out far long than I had intended, though I doubt that anyone will mind. Things are a still a bit rough personally, though improving, so hopefully the next chapter will come out in good order without the need for another delay.__

 _ _The plan remains for two more chapters in this operation, completing the wave one recruitments. It will be the Okeer section, as implied earlier, though it won't resemble canon in the slightest. After that we're going to have four interludes before we go into the next operation. The interludes will all be single interludes, all from individual povs. Current roster is as follows, though the order will probably get re-arranged: Ragged Ice, Scaled Perspective, Warrior Merit, Olympic Business__

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_

* * *

 **Review Responses**

AngelForm - Some canon rails will persist, primarily in areas where I don't think the happenings of the Terminus os the long delay within ME1 would have affected things. The Collector's choice of targets, for example, doesn't really have any reason to change. I am glad that the various points of view are working, that dichotomy is part of the goal for this story.

Adam Pitlik - The third operation should be intriguing for you.

5 Coloured Walker - This should have an answer for Zaeed, at least partially. Atlas suits will be showing up at some point, though they'll be heavily modified from canon.


	15. Operation: Press Ganged V

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Press Ganged**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 **Date:** 08-22-2186

 **Location:** Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

"All right." I sighed as I settled down into a chair, the rest of the Blades' senior leadership already settled all around the conference table. _Chehala_ smoke hung thickly near the ceiling, despite the fans, thanks to the fact that nearly everyone present had pipes lit and working.

Trena, sitting in for Ghai, was on my left, with Ayle sitting just beyond her, and Idas past her in turn. Joa, shirtless as per bloody usual, was on my right, with an understandably distracted Ven on her own right.

"Let's get this shit over with." I inhaled a mouthful of smoke from my pipe, then lowered it and exhaled. "Idas? Go on Redcliffe."

The Turian woman nodded, reaching out to tap out commands onto the table's controls. A moment later a map of the planet hovered above us, a wide variety of colors splotching across it to leave the world multi-colored and looking like some of the truly hideous Salarian art I'd seen.

"As you can see, the situation is rather chaotic." Her voice was even drier than usual. "Based upon the Lady's information, corroborated by those recruiting agents we still have in place and those Traditionalist priests who will talk with us. There are at least seven different organized groups rebelling against the Lady's local government, those are the shades of red. A dozen more, those in blues and greens, are currently only rioting or simply protesting."

"Athame's ass." Trena groaned around her pipe, smoke curling out from it and her nose. "They fucking with each other as well?"

"Of course." Idas sighed, her mandibles splaying wide. "All of them have different ideas as to who should end up on top, who they should owe fealty to, _why_ they are fighting at all..."

Ayle pursed her tanned lips, her deep voice escaping as she lowered her own _chehala_ pipe. "Are there any specific groups we should avoid antagonizing? Ven?"

The young man blinked all four of his eyes, "Nothing in our contract dictates priority targets, or groups to avoid. We are entirely free to handle our targets in any manner we wish, up to and including annihilation."

I exhaled softly, "Let's try and avoid that option. It's as likely to make the others go berserk as it is likely to cow them."

There was a gentle chorus of acknowledgment from the others, then Ayle spoke again. "I believe our best approach will be as we previously outlined. An aggressive recruitment campaign with guarantees that they will be moved off-world, followed by a careful series of expansions beyond Hintertown."

Idas held up a finger, "There remains the matter of securing the city itself, and the fact that one of the more active groups has already moved into the old base. We'll have to remove them before we can begin operating, one way or the other."

I grunted, pondering that as I puffed on my pipe. If we wanted to come in gently, we would warn them in advance, give them one chance to get out before we killed them all. Of course that would also give them time to sabotage or trap the place, and we couldn't exactly discount the fact that there would be at least a few fanatics willing to do so. The safe thing would therefore be to give them minimal or no warning before we came down on them, hard, and secured our operating base.

Trena, as usual, was moving along the same currents. "Best bet is to tell the fucks you're coming when you're already on your way down. Tell them to drop their shit and get out when you're a minute or two out."

"Open channel." Joa agreed, finally speaking up. "Make sure everyone in the city can hear it. No way they can't say you didn't give them a chance."

"And," Ayle added, "Try not to blow up the bar. Garham's, wasn't it? It would be very annoying to find another when we come through on inspection."

Ven and Joa blinked, but the rest of us nodded and made emphatic sounds of agreement as we were reminded of that particular establishment. Had the rest of the old team been present we probably would have lost a significant amount of time reminiscing, but since they were otherwise occupied, we managed to push on after a mere ten minutes or so.

"Bigger question is how we're going to run everything." I spoke as the prior discussion wound down. "Ven, you have any ideas?"

"Several." He replied with a sigh, fingers playing over his pipe. "How effective any of them will be is another matter. Excepting the group that has seized the old facilities, the majority of the city is merely protesting the rulership from Capital City. Their problem is with the former slaves now running the colony, rather than with the Lady herself."

Ayle's upper eyes narrowed. "Can we use that?"

Ven shrugged, "It may give us an indulgence period. I believe that replicating our existing administration style will be our best avenue, with the usual plan of utilizing as many locals as possible. Particularly in those roles that involve the natives."

Police work and taxation officials, more or less. "Who do you want there for setup?"

"Quite a few of the senior staff." He replied, reaching out to manipulate the controls in front of him. A list promptly joined the map, and true enough a large portion of it consisted of senior officials from both our local operations as well as a few from Khar'shan Minor. "Mostly the people I had with when we first set things up here."

I made an approving sound and tilted my head to show the same, "Send whoever you think you need to. Have a head picked out?"

"Ganar Ruza." One of his shoulders rose and fell, "She is wasted as my second, especially now that we are established here."

Ayle pursed her lips but inclined her head slightly, "She is capable enough, and the fact that she is a Krogan may cause the locals to be more accepting."

"Worth a try." Idas allowed, nodding as well. "In either case I need to know how aggressively I should enact our policing duties."

I glanced at Ayle, who merely blinked and tilted her head a bit to the left. The buck neatly passed, I sighed and rolled a shoulder, "Go with the same policies we used when we expanded downwards. They protest peacefully, whatever, leave them to it. Shit, listen to whatever grievances they have, and if they're legit, feel free to work with Ruza to correct things. But the moment a riot starts up or someone takes a shot at one of ours, level everything in sight."

She nodded, "Standard policies then. Did you want to go over the potential now or later?"

"Now's good." I replied, speaking over Trena's exasperated groan. "And _you_ can shut up before I remember that you're better Director material than I am."

Scales gave a theatrical shudder that made everyone smile, though the expressions largely faded as Idas and Ven got started on the economic potential of our new territory.

Hintertown itself was a reasonably sized city, with a population of around a eight hundred thousand. Our main problem, once we secured the old military complex from the idiots holding it, was that a good quarter of said population hadn't been there when the old campaign had started. They'd moved in as refugees as the Lady's armies had warred with Zaen's, and even a couple of years later a lot of the locals weren't happy about it... nor had there been a functioning government in place to build up the place's infrastructure and residential areas.

There was also the key omission from T'Ravt's sale of the city to us. Our authority and control ended at the city's outskirts... meaning we had no control over the vast farmlands that lay just to the southwest. We'd have to import food through her agents in order to keep the place alive, a neat little bit of control and a replication of the same crap that Aria did to everyone on Omega.

Still, the city had a sizeable industrial sector, and that was the main reason we'd agreed to the deal at all. For all that we'd accomplished here, Illium Minor was basically just a giant red-light district and everyone knew it. We made a lot of cash from the entertainments it provided, but a lot of that money had to go right back out to purchase the drugs we sold, the gourmet foods, the gambling equipment, had to pay for the salaries of the workers, the whores, and... shit, just everything else.

Khar'shan Minor, in turn, was mostly residential, and while we had taken in nearly of all of Nynsi's old corporate interests, those were limited by the fact that we didn't control many of them outright. As the other investors demanded good profit margins, we couldn't just keep all the equipment produced there... or even a majority of it thanks to old contracts Nynsi had signed ensuring a flow of materials to the Hegemony. Most of what we made went there as a result, with a large portion of the remainder sold to various smaller Asari Warlords. Nearly all of the weapons our own people used had actually been bought from Xenthan manufacturers as a result.

Owning Hintertown could potentially shift that trend around, though it would probably take quite a while to get everything up to speed consider the limited nature of the arms industry there. Still, if nothing else, the place had room for us to throw up facilities as we needed them, and a population who would hopefully be happy with the wages we would offer. And, according to Ven, there were at least three facilities that turned out large numbers of recreational substances, an enterprise always worth hard currency if nothing else.

"What kinds?" Joa asked as Ven shared that tidbit.

His lower eyes flicked down to his notes. "Red Sand, Jump, and three different cuts of Dust."

Scales let out a low whistle, "Heavy shit. Local or for export?"

There was a snort, "Export, of course. We can probably take a cut of each and resell it here, tithe whatever traders or smugglers they have moving it off world. Probably more of the latter than the former, Sand is supposed to be big in the Alliance right now, and the Republics always have a market for Dust."

"Either way," I waved my pipe from side to side, "It will help cover the costs of raising new regiments, and that's what I want to turn to now."

Ven blinked all four of his eyes, "Are we skipping the taxation plan, or should I allow Ruza to use her judgment?"

"Latter." I grunted, "Just make sure you've got a few financial types in place to check her numbers like we have here and on Illium. "

He nodded, quickly marking that down, then shifting to the new topic. "Right. We'll have recruiting access to the entire northern continent as part of our task to subdue any rebellious activities. Total population is estimated to be around two hundred million."

Trena frowned, her tiny nose letting out a plume of white smoke. "We have that uptight bitch's permission to expand our set up in Capital City?"

"We do." He confirmed, "I honestly believe we'll get more recruits from that region than from those areas in rebellion, at least at first. Our larger problem will be our standards... the old militia has largely been recruited by ourselves and others, and there will be very few combat veterans remaining."

Ayle and I both grimaced as the old argument was brought back up, though she left it for me to ask. "You want us to wave our standard year of combat experience as a requirement, don't you?"

The young Batarian spread his hands apart, "If you truly want to raise troops from the world, I think we have to. It will take longer to train them, and they won't be up to our usual standards at first, but I am unsure if we have the time to be picky."

My grimace deepened as I shook my head, glancing at Ayle, "Thoughts?"

Tanned lips pressed together before she let out a heavy exhalation, "Agreed, but I would see their pay be lower than our existing units as a result. They can be brought up to the current entry level after they have seen battle."

Idas made a sound of agreement, while Trena and Joa both offered nods before the last spoke up, "We going to start recruiting ground troops from the Traverse colonies as well then?"

"Probably." Ayle sighed. "Though I don't think we'll want to use the existing naming structures for any such units."

Our Admiral frowned, then shrugged, "First Traverse Regiment?"

"Works." Trena replied after a few breaths of consideration, "Won't imply crap beyond where they came from. Be fucking weird to have human dominant units though."

"Yeah." I agreed. "Joa, how many you think we can get?"

A purple hand rose to rub at her chin as she thought about it, "Maybe two regiments if you combine immediate volunteers from Nagato, New Canton, and Pskov. Best case you might be able to pull a full brigade together with active recruiting on those worlds and others, but fuck if I know how good their morale will be."

"Or," Ayle added darkly, "How loyal they'll prove when asked to fight elsewhere."

"Or," Scales added in turn, "How they'll react when we haul them here or Xentha for training."

I grimaced, "We'll deal with that crap when it comes up. Ven? Start putting together new recruiting teams and some kind of advertising campaign. Hire the usual freelancers from Illium to help out... shit, just hire them on salary and have them help on Redcliffe too."

He had just begun to nod when the door fucking slammed open, and Shepard's armored form all but stormed into the room. She did it fast too, fast enough that even amongst the paranoid band of maniacs that we were, only Trena managed to get to her feet and have her pistol aimed. The rest of us were in various degrees of rising and drawing when we recognized the intruder, and the sounds of the guards outside furiously snapping at someone else to back off.

"Shepard." I growled, the pleasant calm that the _chehala_ and company had brought entirely bloody ruined, shoving my hand cannon back into its holster. "What the _fuck_ happened to asking for an appointment? And when did you even get back on station?"

The Spectre scowled right back at me, "What the _hell_ is this I'm hearing about you putting down a rebellion?"

I crossed my arms, "What about it?"

Her mouth opened, closed, then repeated the process several times. After about twenty seconds of looking like a landed fish, she found her voice with real disgust in her voice. "Of course you just fucking admit it like this."

Ayle growled, her hands roughly shoving her own pistol back onto her belt, "What is _your_ problem, human?"

"You are putting down a _rebellion_ against a cold hearted bitch of a _tyrant_." She retaliated. "Did you expect me to _not_ have a problem?"

I blinked, then cursed at myself mentally. I should have bloody expected Shepard to have a problem, but I hadn't honestly thought about her reaction. Especially considering that we were working for Lady T'Ravt. To me, to us I supposed, she was an aristocratic... well, Lady. A bit of an uptight bitch at times, but certainly no worse than Sederis, and eminently preferable to someone like Aria.

To someone from the Alliance, Yan T'Ravt was the next best thing to Satan incarnate, with pirates, slavers, and smugglers quite happily hiding behind her skirts and war fleets when they weren't raiding independent colonies, Verge colonies, and anywhere else they thought they could pulverize. Toss in the fact that the Xenthan Empire was nearly as large as the Alliance, and thus a very difficult target to retaliate against, and you had a neat little mess.

"I expect," I spoke, cutting off Ayle and Joa even as the two had begun to return verbal fire. "That it isn't any of your business, Shepard."

The orange glow in her eyes seemed to sharpen. "Excuse me?"

"We are a corporation." I reminded her, my tones sharp but not loud. "We're approaching a hundred thousand people employed, and they don't work for free... nor do they work for a cause. The Redcliffe contract is going to solve a great many problems that we were about to face, thanks to the Hegemony war ending and Lawson not forking over a fortune every month."

"So you're going to massacre people fighting for their freedom..." She pointedly paused, "For _money?_ "

I considered the question, then shrugged. "Yes, assuming said people are stupid enough to shoot at us or at each other."

"And," Trena interjected before Shepard could snap back at me, her arms crossing beneath her breasts. "You're making a stupid fucking assumption. You honestly think those assholes are fighting for democracy and freedom and all that shit? Fucking grow up and piss off. Like the ape said, this is none of your goddess damned business."

"It _is_ my business." She snapped back, evidently refusing to get engaged in just what the locals were fighting for. "When mercenaries slaughter civilians for cash."

"We'll only be slaughtering the ones so moronic as to attack us." I repeated, more annoyance in my voice. "Whether _you_ or _they_ like it, T'Ravt owns Redcliffe. Those who are foolish enough to act rashly against those with greater power can expect only one fate."

Ayle made an approving sound at the quotation from the Pillar of Power, while Shepard's expression darkened further. The Spectre ground her teeth for a moment, spat something at me in Spanish that my translator didn't catch, and then stormed right back out of the room. A moment later another of our guests entered, though Miranda's expression was more exasperated than furious.

"Kean..."

I glowered at her, irritably waving for everyone else to sit back down. "Don't _you_ start with that moral superiority shark-shit too. This contract solves problems that you bloody well knew we were about to start having."

One black eyebrow rose, her own words coming out mild. "Why would I do such a thing?"

My eyes narrowed, then I exhaled and forced my stiff body to relax minutely. Of course she wouldn't, Redcliffe's population was less than one percent Human, Lawson wouldn't give a flying fuck about what happened there. And even if if it had been, she'd at least have understood the necessity. After all, she couldn't afford to keep paying us as she had before, and the majority of work that larger mercenary groups received in the Terminus was a mix of suppression and security contracts. Especially now that the various proxy-wars between the greater warlords had ended in the wake of the last conflict.

Further, Miranda had a firm grasp of the boundaries between us. I didn't tell her how to run her band of terrorists, she didn't tell me how to run my band of mercenaries.

"Besides." Lawson continued, nodding politely towards Trena. "She is quite correct in all accounts. The locals are hardly fighting for a democratic society, and are little more than angry children furious that their power has been diluted or taken. Regardless, what happens in the deep Terminus is hardly relevant to our missions."

I exhaled heavily, the breath and her words helping to calm me down. "Yeah. Take a seat, you might as well sit in on the rest, and tell us how Freedom's Progress went. Badly, I imagine, if Shepard was that volatile."

"Honestly I considered it to be a tremendous success." She replied as she moved around the table, politely keeping her head a little to the left before taking her chair. I got back into my own as she continued, "It was... less than pleasant as an experience, however the information we retrieved was more than worth the trip."

We all listened intently as she summarized the situation as they had found it, and more importantly, what the Quarian engineers had managed to record or piece together. Joa had quickly taken notes and requested copies of the sensor data, noting that the Collector ships seemed to be the same as we had observed elsewhere. They'd had a few more Geth vessels with than the prior recording, but not any more of their own.

Which may or may not have meant anything in regards to their total assets, but it at least confirmed a baseline for us.

Even more interesting had been the security camera footage that had been crudely pieced together. The Collectors, it seemed, were not nearly so limited as the Matriarch's implants had made me believe. Most looked even more emaciated than they had there, and had broad dragon-fly wings. Others, however, were veritable mountains of Collector-shaped muscle. Krogan sized behemoths had carried heavy weapons and so much armor that they looked more like rolling bricks than humanoid beings, while others had resembled Prothean-headed centaurs and had been using biotics to efficiently stack their captives.

Still _others_ had looked more or less as expected, while a distinct minority had actually worn clothes, heavy embroidered robes, and had seemingly been directing the rest.

"Unfortunately there were no instances where they actually utilized their weaponry." Miranda sighed as she wrapped up, "They left destroying the mechs for their Geth rear guard."

I grunted around my pipe, "Annoying but not surprising."

"Right?" Scales shook her head, "Fuck ape but I miss the days when the opposition was a bunch of bloody morons."

My eyes narrowed as I thought back, "When have we ever been that lucky? I mean, the True Sons were assholes and the rank and file was incompetent, but the bosses weren't morons."

She waved a hand irritably. "Blood Pack then. Dangerous, yeah, but no fucking tactical sense."

"Fair point." I agreed, glancing back at Miranda. "Thoughts on Shepard?"

Full lips pressed together as she considered her response, "She was more than lethal when the engagement began, and was able to give good orders quickly and concisely. She was outraged at what she saw and will certainly be motivated to end the Collectors as a threat."

"Of course," Ayle spoke up, "With her little tantrum earlier, the new question is whether or not she will continue to work with _us_."

The Cerberus leader sighed. "Logic dictates that she will. We all have a common enemy."

Joa snorted, "Yeah. Logic is going to stop her from being a pissy little bitch whenever she has to deal with Cie."

That drew a scowl to Lawson's elegant features, "I hardly think that she was ever going to warm up to you, and her reaction was entirely predictable. Even if you had not signed that particular contract, sooner or later you would have signed one that she would have objected badly to."

I held up a hand before my friend could retort, lowering it in a soothing motion. "Joa, I know you and your sister aren't getting along right now, but you've got to calm down."

My admiral grimaced at the mention of Liara, then twitched her chin into something like a nod. "Yeah... fine. What do we do about this?"

"Nothing." I replied with a shrug, "We continue all of our operations as planned."

"I meant about Shepard."

"So did I." I waved my hand, "Whether she likes it or not, Shepard _needs_ us. Even if Sparatus freaks about the Collector data and gets her some backup, it isn't as though she can operate in the Terminus without some kind of escort. Athame's ass, what is she going to do? Ask Miranda here for the SR-2? How many warrants for your arrest are out there right now?"

Miranda gave a wan smile, "Are we including colonial warrants separate from national ones?"

Trena snorted. "That bloody many?"

"I _was_ the second in command of a terrorist organization." She reminded us with an almost demure shrug, "In either case I am hardly going to turn over my only real military asset, so your point remains sound. Her personality is not suited to simply abandoning this fight, and currently she has no other options besides us."

Which was true enough, for now. If Sparatus could drum up the political capital to reveal her, the situation could change, but by then she may have cooled off enough to think rationally about the situation. Or at least, something close enough to it.

Wood flexed beneath my teeth as I ground them onto my pipe. Dammit but that had seriously annoyed me. "Right. Do you have anything on Okeer yet?"

A shake of Miranda's head, "Only a confirmation that he is on world, and that he landed with several cells of Scarlet Tears hired on to supplement his entourage."

Ayle narrowed her upper eyes. "Entourage?"

"Extended family members from his clan, old allies, old experiments..." A shrug punctuated her words. "Old Cerberus reports indicate that he typically moves with two or three hundred other Krogan, though the exact individuals tend to change over time."

My friend grunted deeply, "And the Tears?"

"Perhaps five hundred?" Miranda's face took up a slight scowl, "Their organization remains lacking in specifics, as ever. I have a few agents _en route_ who should be able to provide us with updates shortly. Do yours know anything?"

I grimaced. "He's avoiding the population centers, and there's only a handful of priests there who are willing to talk with us regardless."

Ayle spread her hands, "In either case we'll need significant forces with if he proves to be hostile. The Seventh are finishing their training ahead of schedule, and this would be an acceptable first engagement, especially with the marines present to support them."

Calling up the appropriate memories from my greybox, I nodded after a few heartbeats. The Seventh Omega might have been our newest, and by definition, most inexperienced regiment, but they were well trained and had a power armor attachment utilizing the newest run of the suits. It would still be a hard blooding, Krogan never died easily, but it wouldn't be as if we were throwing them into a campaign. Especially since we would theoretically have orbital control.

"Go ahead and get them ready." I nodded, "Unless something comes up, expect to head out on the Tenth. Lawson, you have anything else?"

She sighed, "Kara Bourdin."

I had to blink a few times before the dusty memory resurfaced, "Oh, the poor bitch Harper messed with to double Shepard."

"The same." A single finger tapped on the table, "I am... beginning to come around to your arguments regarding her."

Trena frowned, leaning back in her chair and huffing out a small cloud from her mouth. "What changed your mind?"

Lawson exhaled, waving her other hand to clear some of the _chehala_ away. "The attack on Doctor Solus was almost certainly a direct attempt on his life by Matriarch T'Ravt. Either as a means of limiting the odds of our success, or minimizing the number of us who will survive the campaign. I think that it is highly probable that she'll be going after all of our other potential recruits as well."

I grunted. "So you're more willing to take the chance that the hypno-therapy didn't take, or wasn't completed, since we might lose a few potentials before we can get them."

"Yes." Miranda grimaced, "There is also the matters of Krios' advancing age, and our inability to contact Massani. I was going to propose the notion to Shepard once we returned, but in light of her current mood I thought it best to not do so."

Ayle blinked her eyes in sequence, uppers than lowers. "You need her with on the next mission?"

"Probably not, no."

The Batarian woman nodded, "Solution's simple enough then, we'll wake the bitch up while you're gone. I can have Ghai check her mind to ensure her suitability."

"She and Ethy are heading home... shit, I'll stay late and do it." We all blinked and glanced at Trena, who scowled at the attention. "What? I know the family crap, much as I wish I didn't. Been a while, but I should be able to pick out any shit drifting around in her head. Might want that girl of yours, Chambers, with though. Calm her ass down after we thaw her, make it easier on me."

"That would be..." Lawson sighed, "Acceptable. _Fait accompli_ will be easier to present to her than trying to argue about it in advance."

"And," Scales shrugged, "If the poor bitch is too far gone, her cryo-pod suffered a goddess damned tragedy of a systems failure."

There was a general murmur of agreement from everyone present. Miranda stayed for another ten minutes as we debated the possible reactions that the woman would have upon waking, and the precautions that we'd have to take to make sure that she was both restrained and calmed. Then she departed, heading out to find Shepard and attempt to divert the Spectre before her friends could reinforce her shit mood further.

We took a break in the aftermath, calming the guards down and assuring them that we hadn't expected them to stop the irate woman who was one of our guests. Given that we still had too fucking much to go over, we sent runners for food and drinks, and then resumed our conference as we started to pick at the former and sip at the latter.

"Right." Ayle sighed as I settled back, letting her take the lead. After all, she would be the Director around the time all of this became relevant. "Ven? Pull up our stage four projections... and make a note to update them based upon our prior decisions in regards to recruitment."

"I can simply update them now." He replied confidently as a simple representation of the Terminus, near reaches of the Traverse, and the Republics appeared. Most of the usual markers were absent in favor of gleaming icons indicating where we expected to have forces six months from now.

Said lines started to update as Ven's fingers flew across keys, the Batarian vigils and runes updating as he skillfully updated everything. "How many regiments from Redcliffe?"

I rubbed at my jaw, feeling my goatee scratching at my skin as I did. "Two brigades seem reasonable?"

Ayle considered that as she worked her way through a small sandwich, then nodded. "One for sure, two are probable. At the very least we will be able to create a significant support network there, simply by co-opting existing infrastructure even if we end up lacking the time for more."

Joa grunted, setting a glass down. "I want ground-side docks, something we can use to patch up smaller ships."

"We can move onto that next," Ayle shook her head, "For now I want to establish the operational plan. Are we still in agreement that the Leviathans and Matriarch will make their move sometime shortly after the Collector threat is ended?"

Trena nodded, "Yeah, and figure those fucks will go with their usual plans. Try and fuck us up internally, play factions against each other. Since the war didn't work, easiest way to do that is assassinations."

"I think the war _did_ work." I grimaced, "At least in the sense that it minimized the number of targets. Ganar, Zaen, and Gormack are all dead, and those three were either personal bad-asses or reclusive as fuck. Figure that was an acceptable result for her at least."

Idas sighed as her mandibles flicked out and then back in. "The Warlords are still _very_ difficult targets, with their legions of guards, personal skills, and their own paranoia. Assume they can't kill more than one or two, maybe two dozen of the smaller targets, those around our level, their second act will be more severe. I still believe it will come from the Republics."

Purple lips pressed together as Joa shook her head, "Maybe, but the Salarians have been too bloody quiet. I still worry they'll go for Omega, they've got the most direct route. If they got here and found a way to blow a relay..."

The Terminus would lose its central hub, and any chance of coordination would also sink if Aria died along with it. As much as I didn't really like working for her, she was the only real candidate who could get the other warlords to actually ally with one another.

I grimaced and let out a hissing breath between my teeth, "Yeah, but they'd still have to fight a campaign to get here and would probably lose a _lot_ of ships in the process, especially since T'Ravt would still be close to them, hitting their flanks, and if they blew a relay she wouldn't see a reason not to retaliate in the same fashion. They _might_ do it, but I think it would be in conjunction with the Republics moving against the Outcasts."

"And," Ayle added, "We could actually contribute to such an action. Any Salarian move will probably be a naval matter, first and foremost, with commando actions as a secondary. Our Lancer teams may become involved, but our troops would be better used elsewhere."

She didn't mention the fact that we probably wouldn't have any _time_ to react to a Salarian attack, since that was more or less obvious.

"Regardless," Our future Director continued, "We still have to decide as to which direction we're going to go, and which warlord we will assist. Sederis or T'Ravt. Cieran and T'Laria prefer the former, I and Idas the latter."

Everyone glanced at the two people who hadn't yet indicated which way they preferred. Ven exhaled heavily, his head tilting a bit to the left, as Ayle motioned for him to speak first. "I... have to say Illium, ma'am. We have indicated a significant amount of allegiance to the Lady already, complementing our actions to her with similar support for Sederis seems prudent."

Joa made a quiet sound of agreement, "I'd say the same. Better to have both of them liking us rather than just one, unless you _want_ to just end up as part of their gang."

"Not particularly." Ayle's lips twisted at the reminder that she'd have to play the political game when she took my job, balancing the demands from the various Warlords above us as well as our own desire to remain independent actors. "That would leave us very far from our people in the Traverse."

I rolled a shoulder, "We'll have a good number of forces available by that point, and we can probably use formations that are still training to protect them from idiots who don't realize the actual threat. Call it two regiments."

Fingers shifted as Ven updated the map, moving two hypothetical Xenthan regiments to Novgorod while pulling the Sixth Omega off and adding it to our pool of potential units. More discussion followed as we settled on garrison numbers for our other facilities; one regiment for Illium Minor, backed up by the administrative security forces already here. Hintertown received a pair, while we expected to have to leave one in our base on Xentha.

Those forces on New Canton, Nagato, and Pskov were relocated thanks to our escape clauses dictating our ability to pull out in case of a Council or Reaper attack, as was our hypothetical-future Old District garrison. It had been all too easy to put those lines into the paperwork, since no one had seriously thought either would happen.

Assuming that our upcoming recruitment drives went well, and that we didn't lose massive numbers of people fighting the Collectors, we would theoretically have around fifty regiments to send to Illium to back up Sederis. Fifty-thousand troops wasn't all that many, not on the scale of the war that was coming... and especially as a good third to half would never have actually seen combat, but it would be a definite message that we still considered her to be one of our liege lords.

And... as fucked up as the place could be, Illium was still _home_ dammit. Even if the Blades ended up having to go into the Traverse or Union or Alliance or Hegemony to fight the Reapers instead, _I_ intended to fight at home if there was a threat to it. And if there wasn't, it would still be a good base to hunt that bitch of a Matriarch from.

"Do we send them all to Illium?" Joa asked, leaning back in her chair. "Seems risky to throw them all to one colony. Maybe split a few brigades off, send them to nearby worlds?"

Ayle frowned, considering that. "Potentially... and that may be an opportunity to alert Sederis as to our intention to support her. T'Laria, the next time you meet with her, inquire as to which worlds we could send... three brigades to. Preferably locations from which we could assist her counter-attacks from."

Trena grimaced at the idea of having to speak with her father, "Yeah... shit, why not."

I snorted, "We have anything else?"

A very grim little smile came to Ayle's features, "Ven? The financial and economic projections."

Everyone but the two of them groaned, sinking back into our seats as we prepared for a very long shift.

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 **Date:** 09-05-2186

 **Location:** _SBS Headsman,_ en route to Kattachak, Anti-Spinward Terminus

* * *

The weeks between the mission at Freedom's Progress and our departure to recruit Okeer were, to use the local parlance, _complicated._

Combining what we had found at Freedom's Progress, the recordings of Collectors coldly stacking up Human beings like cordwood, with the blunt reminder that I was very much not on the side of the angels had left me in a foul mood. The Blades hadn't exactly improved said mood in the aftermath, carrying on business as usual and openly not giving a shit for my opinions... which had strangely helped even as it had pissed me off more.

I'd started to fall into old habits, childhood traps. Associating hospitality and assistance with friendship, the basis of camaraderie, and the all important factor of safety.

Kean was willing to work with me, ally with me, accomplish mutual goals... but he wasn't my friend. He quite literally gave zero fucks about the ideals and dreams that I had dedicated my life to after I had left the streets, and he didn't see any reason not to admit as much. He was a mercenary and unashamed of it; putting down a rebellion for a Warlord was a paycheck, a way to ingratiate himself with a being who could kill him, and an avenue to expand his power base.

The morality of such a campaign didn't so much as enter his calculations.

Morality... wasn't _that_ a loaded word out here?

The Blades' justifications that the rebels on Redcliffe were hardly liberty seeking patriots had also proven to be accurate, according to Liara. Most were led by Krogan and Asari furious that T'Ravt had freed their slaves and then put said slaves in positions of power in her planetary government; creating a ruling class instantly grateful and loyal to her. The rebels weren't fighting for independence so much as they were fighting to kill their new overlords to get their positions of power back... and to probably re-enslave anyone they could get away with collaring.

It was still an excuse for supporting a god-damned dictator... but _fuck_.

I'd spent most of the down time stewing on just what the hell I was doing out here, and working with my friends as much as I could to make sure we were ready for what was coming. Spent time getting know Kasumi and Mordin, finding the actual personality behind Miranda's severe exterior, talking with Taylor about his time in the Corsairs, and spending a lot of time with Liara.

Less pleasant but equally important had been the numerous meetings with Miranda, getting the basics of what her variation of Cerberus was doing and getting updates from her contacts in the Alliance. Evidently the Corsair program had gotten a mass-infusion during the last budget deal, and they were planning on re-establishing bases and heavy patrols in the deep Traverse as a result. So far Horizon was the only world that had accepted their return but they evidently were confident of resuming their old routes.

Lawson had been far less enthused with both their plans and their chances of actually helping, and that had been without knowing that Horizon was probably the next colony on the hit list.

Such thoughts had been pushed aside when the time had come to go after Okeer; the intact part of the Blades fleet forming up along with a heavy transport carrying their entire Seventh Omega Regiment. We got to ride in style on the Batarian-built cruiser called the _Headsman,_ evidently the sister ship to their shot-to-hell flagship, and which had missed the big brawl. The fleet had been underway for most of a week, and approaching our final relay transit when the first intelligence reports had come in, ready to tell us that things already weren't going to plan.

"Based upon my people's last report, the engagement has already begun." Miranda Lawson adjusted the floating planet in front of us, Kean and I both frowning at the image as it came up. The three of us were sequestered in a small briefing room, trying to work out what was happening before we brought in anyone else. "With more reinforcements moving to join the siege."

Kean let out a whistling sound between his teeth, "And they're sure it's more Scarlet Tears attacking? We haven't heard any word of a schism within the group."

"They are sure." Miranda replied drily, "More interesting were the Asari my people reported directing the landings at the planet's primary starports, and who have spent most of the last month questioning the locals as to Okeer's location and assets."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, glowering a little at nothing in particular. "The Matriarch."

"Probably." The other woman agreed, glancing significantly at Kean as the man simply scowled. "I can see several reasons why she would be acting against Okeer, though the potential to gain access to his modification techniques are something we _must_ prevent."

Kean grunted, his left hand clenching unconsciously at his side. "Indoctrinated or husked Berserkers would be a bit of a problem."

"How dangerous are they?" I asked, "Normally I mean."

"Very." He sighed, his body language becoming something tired and almost human, pale green eyes going distant in memory. "They got more so as the war went on and his techniques improved. Take a normal Krogan and make everything worse. Stronger, better reaction times, and even more pain tolerance. That last is a real problem, assholes will keep fighting even if half their body is gone. Head shots are about the only way to take them down. And those are the non-biotic ones, those fuckers... aren't fun."

Miranda grimaced, "Weaknesses?"

He rolled a shoulder, "They're smart as fuck until they go into a blood rage, and they blood rage _very_ easily. If you're in the open, best way to deal with them is harass them until they charge, then encircle them and cut them down. If you're not in the open, find a way to get to their throats. Of course, that's without Leviathan 'upgrades', goddess alone knows what those squids will do."

It was my turn to let out a sharp exhalation, "Then we need to make sure that they don't get access to the Doctor, or to his data... Or even the bodies of his people. When can we try to contact Okeer?"

Kean glanced at his omni-tool, "We're six hours from the Relay, you can probably message him from there but the goddess alone knows who might have tapped those buoys. Safer to wait until we're in system. We've got to discharge, say three or four for that if we bribe the masters at Venk'tiar station to put us at the front of the line... call it twelve hours."

Which was a very long time in a battle, but everything I'd heard about Okeer said he'd be the type who could hold out. Especially if he'd 'enhanced' his personal retinue in addition to whatever other mad science projects he had handy.

"We're going to need a new plan." I frowned, "Can you pull up the map?"

Miranda nodded, reaching out to zoom the image of Kattachak down to the ruins where Okeer had evidently gone to ground after the war. "Remember this is only a rough estimate as to where he is and where his attackers will be; my people haven't been able to penetrate his picket line and they had to pull back even farther when the attackers began to arrive."

I pursed my lips, rather missing the AIS and STG reports that I'd gotten in advance of my Spectre assignments. Then again I doubted either had anything more than rudimentary knowledge of this planet, considering how far it was from everything and it's relatively small population.

Kean grimaced, rubbing a hand over the braids hanging from either side of his mouth. "We assume the bitch's mercs will be competent, they'll probably setup in the same place we were going to. That... mall or complex or whatever it is. Higher ground than Okeer's base, easy access to those towers, and that riverbed is more useful than the roads thanks to the bloody jungle."

"Probably." I agreed, tracing my eyes over the image. "Best location to put down your regiment is probably... there, where those buildings collapsed. Plenty of open ground, good position to hit the attacker's base from."

"Maybe..." He considered it for several seconds, then surprised me by shaking his head. "Okeer would have two clear paths to hit that location after the siege is lifted, and I don't trust that he won't try and ensure he's in a position to negotiate from strength."

Miranda frowned, "I would think that _quid pro quo_ would ensure we could at least communicate with him."

"No." I sighed, not liking that I was agreeing with Kean. "He's right. He probably wouldn't kill us if we pull him out of the fire, but Krogan put a lot of emphasis on being in control, in places of power. He'd at least shift his people into the right places to cause us a lot of pain if he didn't like what we were saying, or how we were saying it."

She grimaced. "Where then?"

Kean leaned forwards, reaching a hand out to tap three locations in sequence. "Line companies here and here, engineering and support companies here. They'll be our reserves and setup what artillery we've got. One hunting company... here, covering the right flank, maybe setup a fire-base in this tower. Second will drop with your team Shepard, right here. They'll get you as far as Okeer's lines, then pull back to keep a watch on him."

I flicked my eyes left and right as he indicated the various areas. None were large enough to land their entire regiment, forcing them to come down by company instead. Still, each position was fairly close to the others, and would leave his main body right on the attacker's probably left flank.

"Here," I added, motioning to a smaller complex of some kind. "Your marines can set up here and extend out that flank. Your huntresses can link the two groups."

He grunted, tilting his head slightly to the left. "That will work."

I nodded as well, then inhaled before asking another question, "Where are you going to be?"

"With the Seventh, probably the engineering company." He rolled a shoulder, "And no, I won't send Voya with you."

Something eased in my chest. I wasn't quite ready to accept fighting beside him yet, and I sure as hell wasn't ready to have _Chi_ fighting beside me. Not least of all because I knew that the pair of them would just as soon ignore any order I gave as obey if they thought they had a better idea, just like they had when we'd worked together on Carastes all those years ago. Miranda was at least somewhat more trustworthy in that situation, and hadn't given me any reason to doubt her on our mission to Freedom's Progress.

If he noticed my relief, he didn't comment. "On that notion, I need to hunt down the officers so we can turn this into something like an actual plan of action with suitable backups."

With that he gave us both a quick nod, turned, and then departed the room without another word.

Miranda scowled lightly at his back, though she refrained from speaking until the door had closed, "I understand that is polite from a Batarian perspective, the notion of not wasting more words, but I still find it extremely annoying."

"Ditto." I replied, "What can you tell me about the ruins?"

"Not as much as I would like." She sighed, waving a pale hand. "It's all heavily overgrown, but the fact that any of it is still standing implies advanced construction methods, nevermind the materials. Not Prothean, the architecture is entirely different, but likely of the same era."

"No research done?"

A grim smile appeared, "Shepard, we're two relays beyond Omega."

Right. No research team would survive to get this far. "Hard going?"

"At ground level, yes." The smile vanished behind another sigh. "My people used the rooftops whenever possible, but much of the city has collapsed, and there isn't all that much cover up there. Any fight is going to be a slow, less than pleasant affair. The Blades will be thrilled."

"Yeah..." I frowned, "How are the Tears going to handle it?"

"They're organized in cells under a parent corporation, each of which is more or less independent." She gave me an almost helpless shrug, "We likely won't know until we get there, or unless my people can identify specific formations in advance. Consider them to be a more... reckless variation on the Blue Sun pattern."

That was at least something to work with. We spent a few more minutes going over what other new information that she had, and when she turned out to have very little, agreeing to meet again when the ship came out of FTL. Hopefully her agents would have more reports waiting for us by then, and hopefully Kean would have a set of plans that we could piggy-back our rescue mission onto. That being decided, we split apart to try and get some sleep while we still could.

Not that either of us, freaks that we were, actually needed that much sleep.

Liara looked up from her console as I entered the small cabin we'd been given, her soft lips curling into a smile. "A productive meeting for once?"

"Mostly." I sighed, ensuring that the door was locked behind me. "Miranda's spies managed to get their first report to us before we went to FTL, and there's a problem."

Her expression turned into a frown as I explained, her emotions wavering somewhere between annoyance and concern by the time I finished. "I see. Well, I suppose we should be glad that they Blades are bringing a small army with us."

I grimaced, walking over and not-quite collapsing into the bunk. "If the SR-2 was ready we wouldn't _need_ an army. We could be in and out before anyone noticed."

"True." She agreed, rising from her chair. "But until it is ready, we simply have to make do. Were they both polite?"

"By their standards." I moved my legs and an arm, giving her room to sit down beside me as I laid back and tried to relax. "Miranda's still being fairly transparent about staying on my good side, but I didn't really expect anything different."

Liara made a humming sound, the bond not revealing anything of her opinion. One warm hand carefully touched my jawline, fingertips tracing over my fake skin in a slow motion.

"And Kean remains an ass." I grumbled, trying not to show how good it felt to simply have her touching me. "But I suppose I should be grateful that neither of them is trying to screw us over already."

"I doubt that either will in the long term." She replied, turning so that she could use both hands. I found my eyes closing automatically as she lazily drifted her fingers across my neck, my jaw, my cheeks... "We can trust them, in their own ways, and the situation will likely correct itself after Horizon."

It was my turn to let out a quiet hum. Horizon was probably going to be the key to a lot of things, a hopeful solution to a bunch of our problems... and likely something that would start up several more.

Scratch that, a _lot_ more.

Between Kean's fleet, the supporting warlords who had apparently re-committed to dispatching their own forces for a two week window, the SR-2, and whatever forces that the Alliance Corsairs had in system, I thought we had a very good shot at taking out the Collector's main fleet with minimal to moderate losses. Further, we would have more than enough ground troops with us in order to stop them from abducting the local population, so long as we got moving quickly enough.

Hell, if we were _really_ lucky and fast, we might even be able to board one of their ships and abscond with their IFF.

Of course, even in those best case scenarios... we would be encountering Alliance forces. Probably quite a few of them. I could only imagine how they'd react to the news of my resurrection, much less the fact that I was working with mercenaries, pirates, and terrorists. If I screwed up even slightly we could very well end up in a _second_ battle after we fought off the Collectors.

"Stop worrying about what may come." Liara murmured, the warm tips of her fingers drifting over my closed eyelids.

"That's rich, coming from you." I replied softly, fighting the urge to focus on nothing but the feather-light touches and the gentle emotions she was sending across our bond. "You're always worrying about the future."

"Precisely." Her gentle smile was practically audible, "We don't need another worrier in our relationship, one is quite enough. Relax."

I thought about trying to stop her, realized that I really, really didn't want to, and so instead simply let myself go limp. She continued the ministrations for a good twenty minutes, until her wrists grew too stiff to continue. Her warmth vanished from beside me for a moment, then returned as she retrieved a tablet to continue working on.

When I tiredly opened an eye to glance at it, she felt the curiosity across our bond and shrugged demurely. "Just reports."

"Anything interesting?" I asked through a yawn.

She shook her head, "Not unless you enjoy accumulated blackmail material on various government officials and businessmen. Part of my father's scheme to insert and gain new agents in the Republics."

"I don't want to know." I muttered, rolling onto my side and half curling around her seated form. "I'd probably have to arrest half of them."

There was a quiet laugh. "Closer to all of them."

I sighed and closed my eyes again, very much not wanting to think about _that_ either. I had enough problems convincing myself that I was doing the right thing without being reminded that my father-in-law was the Shadow Broker.

"How are they doing?" I asked instead.

"I assume you mean Garrus and Nikita?" She asked in reply, continuing when I hummed an affirmative. "They're... still talking. I think they're friends again, but he still wants something more. She is...still quite conflicted on that point. Both of her personalities are."

"Hard to blame her." I sighed. "How is she doing?"

Liara considered her words for a few seconds, "She's... trying to hang in there, trying not to fight within herself. I believe it would be good for you to spend more time with her."

It was my turn to pause, considering that. Liara wasn't prone to overstatement... if anything she had the opposite issue, which meant that Nikita was probably barely keeping a brave front together. And I hadn't even noticed... probably because, now that I forced myself to sit down and consider it, she'd been all but avoiding me. She'd cut every personal conversation short but never so that it was easy to notice, faded into the background during group sessions, and had clearly preferred to associate with Kasumi or the Blades rather than the rest of us.

Exhaling, I nudged her with my hip, wordlessly asking for her to move so that I could get up.

"I didn't mean now." She protested, though she did stand and move aside.

"I'm probably not going to get any sleep as it is." I sighed as I heaved myself up, "And we're about to go into combat. And she's a friend."

Liara pursed her lips, but nodded.

"Want to come with?"

She grimaced. "It would probably be best if I didn't. She's as conflicted about me as she is about Garrus."

I fought down the low, possessive pulse that was my usual immediate reaction when reminded that Nikita and Liara had come very close to having a thing. That stupid jealousy had gotten me into more problems than it had been worth when I was young, and it was one of the few things about my old life that I'd never quite managed to get rid of. My bondmate felt the emotion regardless, sighed almost fondly, and gave me a gentle kiss before shooing me out of the cabin.

It was a short walk down the hall to the cabin that Nikita was sharing with Kasumi, and I knocked politely when I arrived. "Nikita? It's Shepard."

" _It's open."_ Her muffled voice replied after a moment.

Entering their small cabin found both women present, and in their recessed bunks. Kasumi was, for an unknown reason, laying backwards with her bare feet on her pillow with a blanket half thrown over her, and an actual _book_ of all things in her hands as she read. Across the room saw Nikita sitting at the edge of her own, having evidently been reading something on her omni-tool before trying to get some sleep.

"Hey Shep." She greeted me, the small smile and the soft tones of her voice making me guess her emotional personality was currently running things. "What's up?"

"I was hoping to talk with you for a bit." I replied, glancing at Kasumi. "Alone if that's all right."

The thief looked away from her book, "Don't look at me, I'm not wearing much under this blanket."

"Liar." Nikita snorted, her bronzed features curling as she smiled.

"Always." Came the cheerful response, Kasumi kicking the blanket off to reveal her usual outfit. Tucking her book under one arm, she trotted past me and out the door without looking back or asking any questions.

I still made sure to lock it behind her. While she was coming close to being a friend, Kasumi was a woman who didn't even grasp the concept of 'privacy', and it was far better to be safe than sorry.

"So." Nikita spoke as I moved to sit in the room's only chair, her tones becoming cool, crisp. "This a sanity check, making sure we're still here? Or did you actually just want to talk with us for once?"

I frowned, wondering where the hell this had come from. "Nikita..."

She scowled at me, her plain features turning ugly. "No, Shepard. You're not getting a pass on this one. You've been treating us like we're one of the Blades since you woke up."

My eyes flicked pointedly to the shirt she was wearing, the logo small but prominent above her left breast. "I wonder why."

For a moment I thought she would get up and take a swing at me, but she arrested the motion, staying in place and clenching her fists in her lap before relaxing them. "They don't judge me."

"And I have?" I asked, keeping my tones even. "You're acting like _I've_ been avoiding you, when I know I've tried to talk with you as routinely as I do with everyone else."

Her mouth opened, then closed, and then her eyes frowned and glanced left to right as if she was reviewing her memories. Considering the fact that she had a grey-box now, she probably _was._ After perhaps twenty seconds she visibly winced and seemed to deflate, slouching. "You did, didn't you?"

Rather than reaffirm that and rub it in, I made a gentle guess. "It's the memories, isn't it? The ones that Cerberus dragged up when they had you."

"I..." She sucked in a breath, then shook her head, unable to continue. Silence reigned and she turned her gaze to the floor, then to the ceiling, anywhere but at me.

After two minutes I realized I wasn't going to get anything by waiting, and confronting her likely wouldn't help either. She was obviously traumatized and upset, even now, and something about me in specific was causing the reaction. Since I'd never seen her before I'd arrived on the Citadel after Eden Prime, what felt like a lifetime ago, it was probably less _me_ and more what I _represented._

The Alliance.

From what Liara had told me, from the logs that Nikita had filled out while she recovered, she and the other experiments had thought that they had been tapped to be used as spies for the Republics inside of the Alliance. The reason they would act against their own species had supposedly been because they owed the Matriarch for saving them, and that would be a powerful motivator... but it would have been even more powerful as an added incentive on top of an active dislike.

Or active hatred.

"Nikita?" I asked quietly, "Where are you from, originally?"

Teeth appeared as she bit her lip, but she answered. "Mialkovo. It was... a quiet little place... one relay past the Verge, outside of the Alliance's borders."

It didn't click at first, and then it suddenly did. "Oh Christ... the colony they turned into El Dorado, the Corsair base, after they cleared out that pirate operation in the Buccaneer's war."

"Yeah, the _pirate_ operation." She spat the words. "The _one ship_ we let land because their life support was failing, that didn't have any loot. Just tired people who practically kissed our feet in thanks that we let them land. We didn't even _know_ that they were wanted until after the fact, until the ANN broadcast their ' _facts_ ' of what happened."

I winced. "What _did_ happen?"

"Corsairs came out of nowhere, called us all traitors, called us whores. They killed every Batarian and Turian who lived there, lined them up and made us watch." Her fists clenched again. "I was... with the Matriarch's team. They were there on some kind of archeological dig, probably looking for Leviathan or Reaper tech, and they'd hired a few of us as porters and guides. The Cosairs saw them and panicked."

They would have. The AIS had turned more than one blind eye to the Corsair program's excesses, both sides probably poked and prodded by the Illusive Man and Cerberus, but attacking an innocent colony with a full Republics' research team there to witness it? Killing everyone would have been their only way to be sure that they could come up with a cover story.

"They shot their way to their ship, got us off with them." She sucked in a breath, "I was in shock, so I don't know how we left the system. The team probably made a deal to keep their mouths shut, or paid them off, or... hell, maybe they just had that good of a pilot."

"And," I prodded, "When you saw me, you remembered."

"I-I know you weren't with them." The words came out in a rush, "You weren't. It's just... you, and Cerberus... We know those assholes had to have been involved, pushing them, covering things up ,and so many of your friends were Corsairs and... it just..."

Reminded her. Brought that old hate back. I couldn't blame her, not really. "That's why you've been hanging out with Kean and his people. They get it."

"He... doesn't know." Her throat worked as she glanced away. "I... only told him the basics, not the full truth. He just... he accepts people, doesn't judge them, doesn't ask questions."

"I know." I replied, voice still gentle. "But sometimes you have to be pushed, have to be questioned. Otherwise you bottle everything up until you can't keep it in... and then you blow up at your friends."

She winced again and looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I can't even imagine the things you've gone through, are still going through." Case in point, her continuing inability to stick with a pronoun when referring to to herself. "But you've got to remember that we're here for you. We can't help you if you avoid us."

"I know... I know." Her head shook. "It's easy to know it, it's just hard to... you know, say anything."

"I know." I said again, once again meaning it. My own past still loomed behind me whenever I stopped to think about it, these days more often than ever. The temptations to fall back into youthful habits, to stop having to care so much, to stop bothering with words and diplomacy when it would be so much easier to just...

"I know." The words came out with my breath as I closed my eyes. My _fake_ eyes, as artificial as the shell of a decent person that I'd managed to scrape together from the wreckage of my soul.

There was an almost startled pause. "...Shepard? Are you all right?"

No. I opened my eyes and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Yeah, just... old memories."

Nikita bit her lip, chewed it, then spoke. "I... I mean, if you need someone to talk to, besides Liara... I'd feel like a bitch if I turned on you after you just listened to us vent like that."

I snorted softly, "It's all right, and I'm fine. I have talked about it before, with old friends, Alliance psychologists, not just with Liara. Old memories just... have the bad habit of creeping up on you when you least want them around. They don't ever go away, but they do get easier to bear."

"Yeah." She gave me a somewhat shaky smile, but a smile all the same. "It does get easier?"

"It does." I assured her. "Especially when you have friends around you."

"Thank you... I'll try not to be so stubborn about opening up next time." The shakiness vanished as her smile turned self-deprecating, "No promises."

I snorted and stood up. "Will you promise if I find us ice cream and wine, enough for us to live the stereotype?"

Something like a giggle came out before she could stop it. "I... all right, I promise."

"Good." I nodded firmly, keeping my own smile mostly on lock-down. "Now get some sleep, we're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

* * *

 _ **Next up is Operation: Press Ganged VI**_

 _Why yes, I am still alive. Here we have a bridge between the prior chapters and the Okeer recruitment mission, a bit of foreshadowing as far as the Blades' operations go, and reminders that not everything is awesome between the three leaders. We also get some more on Nikita's actual original back-story and a little glimpse of Liara and Shepard just being together in private._

 _Next chapter will have explosions. And Krogan. And power armor. And Shepard and Cieran killing things._

 _ _As a reminder, after the next chapter we will have four side character interludes. Two of these have been used before, two have not been. The order will be as follows:_ _Ragged Ice, Warrior Merit,_ _Scaled Perspective, Olympic Business. Then we'll be on to the next Operation: Legend's War.__

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 ** **Review Responses****

Adam Pitlik - I find it good to throw in the occasional reminder that the cast and crew had lives before these stories began. There will definitely come a time when Cieran ends up involved in people from Voya's past, though it may be a while.

TwentyItalians - As Veetor wasn't in any shape to be questioned, much less interrogated, there really wasn't a moral choice to be had.

Septim7 - Nyreen's behavior was a combination of her role and the stresses inherent to it, especially in advance of a major gathering of the Terminus. Given how well they all get along with one another, you can imagine the kind of security measures she has to setup and operate just to keep the in-fighting within acceptable limits.

Urkhardt - The problem with expanding into the Traverse is that, historically, such things lead to reprisals from the Citadel in the same way that Citadel expansion into the Traverse leads to Terminus action. Occupying one out-of-they-way colony as a place to put their dependents is minor enough to go without real notice, but trying to occupy several such colonies would definitely see the Council sit up in a 'send spectres and STG to deal with them' kind of way.


	16. Operation: Press Ganged VI

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Press Ganged**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 **Date:** 08-23-2186

 **Location:** Kattachak, Anti-Spinward Terminus

* * *

Shockingly, our addition to the mess occurring at Kattachak didn't make an already chaotic situation any better.

"Joa, say again!" I growled into my mic, the left hand of my power armor seizing the screaming Krogan by the throat to make the fucking Krogan _shut up_ for a minute. "Bit occupied."

There was a snort, but this time I managed to make out her words, " _I said we're in position above the moon. Locals are still yelling at everyone to stay the fuck back."_

I snorted as I brought my right arm around, driving the heavy bayonet right into the Krogan's gut. Armor shattered and orange blood poured out, viscera joining it as I clutched down on the trigger. "Are the Tears staying back?"

" _So far."_ She replied, " _I'll be sure to start screaming curses if a storm kicks off, until then we'll wait for the waves to hit."_

I grunted, shouldering the twitching body aside, then paused to put another round into its helmet just to be sure. It was the last one that had still been upright, and around me the rest of the Seventh's power armor unit were performing similar _coup de grace_ to fallen enemies.

Like me, they were wearing the latest model to come out of Illium, the advantage of being the most recent unit formed. Outwardly the Type 7 looked the same as the previous six editions, with the same brick-like build that had characterized my early experiments all those years ago. Most of the improvements were internal, with lighter, more efficient engines and eezo cores finally giving us a version that could match a human's running speed rather than a mere jog.

The weaponry was fairly uniform and fairly extensive. A heavy cannon wielded in one hand, connected to a coolant feed, with a tower shield overlaid with omni-panels in the other. Small tubes dotted the torso, each loaded with two micro-grenades capable of butchering anything that managed to get up close and personal in a field of fragments, while two actual grenade launchers rode in small turrets on either broad shoulder.

Knowing we could very well be up against Krogan, or husked crap, I'd made sure that each suit had replaced the incendiary grenades usually loaded in one launcher with Batarian made anti-armor models. It was those that had made the brawl pathetically one sided, the explosives shattering the Krogan's heavy protection like paper.

Changing channels, I connected to the local tactical net. "Hallus, we've blunted the Krogan, need a sitrep."

Hallus ul Borradin, Senior Captain of the Seventh Omega, responded promptly, his deep voice irritated. " _The marines and the second company have repulsed a local recon force, still no action on our left. Kel indicates our artillery should be coming online shortly, I intend to start hitting the Tears' command center."_

I considered that as I glanced around, finding my heavy shield where I'd dropped it five minutes ago. "Dedicate the heavy mortars to that, leave the light batteries for local support."

" _Yes Director."_ He replied, " _I'm having all teams but the second hunters dig in and prepare for more probing actions, they are escorting the Spectre around Okeer's left flank. I intend to begin a cautious advance as soon as the first hunters have identified the primary concentrations."_

"Good." I nodded slightly, "I'm on my way back to the command post, have a plan ready for review."

The signal cut out in reply, and I exhaled before taking one last glance around. Okeer's Krogan and their allies had, by luck or good judgment, tried to make a push right towards the makeshift command post Hallus had set up. As the support and engineering companies were still landing, and the Second Line company was fully engaged with the Matriarch's branch of the Tears, the regiment's power armor unit had been the only group available to kick them back. And, since their commander was still in orbit supervising the loading process, Hallus had asked me to jump in a suit to lead the push.

"Unit Leader Behok, take command of the platoon." I directed as I turned, the heavy armor lumbering back the way we'd come. "Secure this intersection and the ones one block east and west. Keep at least one unit back for a reserve."

 _"Sir."_ The young man called in reply, his own orders cascading out before I cut myself out of that channel. Behind me, thirty odd suits of power armor began to spread out, using their gangly limbs and tower shields to shove rubble into something similar to cover. Trees that had managed to breach the old road surface were felled to clear line of sight, their long branches cracking as they fell.

A few moments later my camera caught a flicker of motion, and then a lithe form was clambering up the back of the suit. Legs appeared a few breaths later in front of the left shoulder view, Voya gripping the grenade launcher on that side to keep her balance as she settled into place.

"A good start." She purred, keeping her Viper extended and in her lap. "You still have a talent with these things."

I shrugged against my restraints, despite the fact that she couldn't see it. "A start sure, but we hit what, a dozen Krogan with thirty plus battle-suits? There's still a chaotic bloody mess out there... and the lack of orbital support is going to be annoying as fuck."

Voya scoffed. "That's what the contingency is for, is it not?"

A low growl came out of my throat, I wasn't happy that we'd had to call that in at all, nevermind so quickly. Not that I could blame the locals for gathering up their rag-tag fleet and threatening to engage whoever opened fire first; us or the Tears' small task force. They were happy enough to let them, and then us, land in the hopes of getting Okeer the fuck off their planet, but they very much didn't want ships bombarding said planet.

Understandable but _so_ fucking annoying.

Shaking my head, I focused on the here and now, carefully moving the armor across the ruined city. Rubble and greenery was crushed beneath my flat feet as I maneuvered my way south, the strange, swirling architecture oppressive as it loomed all around.

" _Kean? Shepard."_ The Spectre's voice echoed from my speakers about three minutes later, " _Have Okeer's people opened fire on you as well?"_

I blinked, then remembered that she wasn't connected to our rudimentary network. "Confirmed, we just threw back a group of Krogan, think they were just seeing who is here."

Her voice hardened, " _You broadcast our approach and arrival, they should know."_

"Should." I agreed, "Might be why they're hitting us anyway, we and the Tears have some history from the war."

" _Lovely."_ She muttered, " _We're about to head in, going to try and get Okeer and get out. If we can get him to call his people off and focus on the mutual opponent we will. Shepard out."_

I grunted, not quite so tactless as to state that I didn't think that would happen. From what I knew, Okeer was a weird fuck at the best of times, the goddess alone knew what he would do when Shepard reached him.

Voya waited until she was sure Shepard was done before speaking, " _Why_ can't I follow them again?"

"Because you'd shoot Okeer as soon as you saw him." I replied blandly. "Which I wouldn't really care about, but Shepard would be rather put out."

My lover made an irritable mewling sound, something I'd only ever heard Quarians manage. "She'd get over it."

"Yes..." I allowed, "But _I_ would have to deal with her in the interim."

She sounded honestly puzzled, as if she couldn't fathom a universe where I _wasn't_ responsible for handling the side-effects of her killing things so that she didn't have to be bothered. "Obviously. What's your point?"

"My point is _no_ Voya." After a beat, I added, "And stop trying to rile me up."

There was a low scoff, but she subsided. It didn't take much longer, three or four minutes at most, before we were at the Seventh's command center. Hallus had set it up in the remains of a warehouse... or maybe a garage, it was hard to tell with the roof shattered and the columns wrapped in vines. More greenery protruding from the ruined floor had been trampled by armored feet of various sizes, and was now coated in cables running from generators to the various pieces of equipment that had been thrown up.

Hallus and what command staff were in on the ground were kneeling around the largest such piece, a portable holographic table, their helmets shifting as they spoke and gestured at various small icons.

Voya descended from my armor as I used my chin to hit the exit switch, the torso plating extending outwards to give me enough space to squirm upwards and free. Then I was down on the ground, making sure my weapons and equipment were still in place on my belt as I trotted over to join the officers.

Having had more experience with Ayle than with me, they all rose to bow in salute, and I irritably waved at them to knock it off before they could. "Status of the landings?"

"Proceeding well." Hallus replied, all of us glancing up as another shuttle roared over our heads to deposit more soldiers onto the ground somewhere nearby. "Commander Ulok has departed our transport and it is moving to join the fleet, he expects to be down within ten minutes."

Giving the power armor platoon their actual leader back, freeing me up to act as I wished. "Good. No anti-air?"

"Two missile launchers, our combat shuttles strafed the area and we haven't had any issues since." He shrugged. "Though with all this crap around us, I doubt they actually killed many. Likely just drove them deeper into the buildings."

I grunted in agreement. "Might as well keep them in reserve for now, I doubt they'll do much besides make themselves targets."

"Already issued the orders."

"Good." I nodded, tilting my head in approval. "Plan?"

He turned back to the table, and nodded to it. "Our primary purpose is to pin down the besieging force and occupy their attentions, and to do the same to Okeer's if they are hostile. I want the Second Line company and the armor platoon to advance two blocks forwards and laterally when our mortars open fire, that will give us control of the old beachfront."

Thus letting us fire right down on the besieger's support lines, as their command center was on the far side of the river from where their main lines had been pushing Okeer for the past day. They'd either have to go well out of their way to avoid us, or otherwise come at us to eliminate the threat.

"First Hunters can setup here," He continued, indicating the stub of a tower, now only five stories tall or so. The remainder had collapsed to the east, and he motioned towards it. "While the marines occupy the fallen section to protect their flank. The snipers will have angles to harass both factions."

"They would." I agreed, eying the angles. "First Line and Second Hunters staying on the flank? Won't have much of a reserve on either side with how long the lines will have to be."

Even with the helmet I could see him wince. "I intend to dispatch the Engineering Company across the river to back up that formation, I think it more likely that the Matriarch's Tears will focus on them."

"Leaves just the Support Company here." I grimaced. They were soldiers and Blades, but they were mostly... well, _support_ personnel. Medics, cooks, mechanics, along with a mixture of other specialists, such as the mortar teams. People far more valuable in non-combat situations than if we had to use them on the line.

"Yes, but..." He spread his hands, "We need heavy forces forwards to draw them to us. We can create local reserves once we have their attention, but first we _need_ that attention."

I held up a hand of my own in silent agreement, "Not criticizing. We can tighten the First Line's formation up a bit, keep one platoon back."

"Second Hunters will have to spread out to cover the additional area." Hallus considered, "Though that may be more to their advantage. If they operate in an elastic defense they will be able to frustrate any push Okeer sends their way."

"Agreed." Berserkers, from personal experience, did _not_ handle traditional Asari tactics well. "Have them set up their main line... back here, their non-biotics can setup their snipers and heavy weapons. Rest can lure the Krogan to them."

"Xel? Get that done." Another young Batarian man nodded sharply, then stepped aside and began to relay the order. "Director? The remainder?"

"Solid." I nodded, "It'll get their attention, and everywhere but the left flank should have good sight lines and cover."

Hallus seemed to exhale in relief, the subtle tension of commanding his first major engagement clearly encroaching on him. He'd been the leader of a minor mercenary band, and had run it well according to their record with the Illium registries, but they'd never numbered more than a few dozen. This was a far larger state of affairs than he was used to, but I thought it was handling it all right for now.

Not nervous so much as edgy, impatient to get the actual battle started.

Voya sidled up on my left as the orders began to flow out, her helmet titled a little as she regarded the map, the numerous little icons showing where units and platoons were moving. After that it became a waiting game, the mortars starting to fling out their payloads somewhere nearby as their tenders finished getting them assembled and set.

And then, as usual, it was time to sit around and wait for crap to unfold.

The Tears reacted quickly to the bombardment, but reacting _fast_ doesn't mean reacting _intelligently._ Several of their squads tried to use the riverbed to bypass the heavy ruins near it, and ran smack into the company that Hallus had positioned there. With the power armor backing them up, it took all of five minutes to rout the would-be attackers, killing a good third and forcing the rest to make a panicked retreat to the other bank.

There they managed to rally and get some reinforcements, then they tried to push south-west to flank our people while a few of their own started up harassment fire to keep us occupied. The flanking force promptly ran into the marines and huntresses who had secured the tower nub and it's fallen components, and were turned back just as quickly as they had been earlier.

Then they pulled back to mull their options. More probing strikes came in on both sides of the river as the Tears evaluated our positions and tried to work out how many of us there were, all the while the mortars and snipers in the tower kept up their harassment.

After perhaps an hour of that, they realized they weren't going to get anywhere with small-scale operations, and changed tactics.

Just not in the way we wanted.

"Shit." Hallus growled as the reports continued to roll in. The Tears were leaving enough people to keep up a sporadic long range duel, but their main body was swinging north away from from where our snipers could see and hit them. "Pillars damn them."

I made an irritated sound in return. "They're determined to take out their primary objective, have to give them that much. They'll form up on those three streets, then drive everything right into Okeer's lines."

"Can they breach them?"

"Probably." I let out a seething whistle between my teeth. "They've been besieging them for more than a day now. Probably cost them, but I think they'll manage it. Then they'll roll right into that old base and grab whatever they need, maybe blow it to shit on their way out."

The Captain let out a low growl of frustration, "We have to advance then."

Lips pulled back from my teeth inside of my helmet, me being no happier about the prospect than he was. "Not many good avenues for that."

"Just the riverbed." He agreed grimly, "Lead with the armor? A direct push?"

I frowned, taking a few precious breaths worth of time to consider the map and evaluate the situation. "No... we need to pin them down, _make_ them focus on us. A straight push they could slow, divert, distract. We'll go with a forked offense."

Hallus's posture briefly showed uncertainty before he got it under control. "What do you mean?"

"Here." I reached out and used my hands to indicate what I wanted to happen. "The armored platoon and First Line are going to advance right up the riverbed, heading right for where the bulk of them should be. I want the Second Hunt, the marines, and the engineers to shift to these three streets and head right for the enemy landing zone."

"Ah." He nodded sharply, leaning forwards, "Second Line... here, this open region will give them a threatening position against both Okeer and the Tears."

I nodded in approval in return, "Yes. Coordination is going to be a bitch, especially on the right since the marines don't have the full command setup like you do. I want you to rotate out there and direct that push personally. Leave your second here to coordinate, and I'll go with the armor."

"Do we pull back once we have their attention?" Hallus asked, shifting a hand to indicate several open areas in turn. "If I can get them to pursue us these areas would be ideal kill zones. I can leave the bulk of the troops there while a few units act as flickerfish."

"That would be ideal." I agreed, "Use your best judgment. Get their attention, keep it, try not to get killed."

There was a chorus of snorts from the men and women around us, and then we were moving. Hallus's second, Captain ul Norin my greybox helpfully reminded me, quickly moved to take his boss's place as the man picked out several others to join him in a quick run for the landed shuttles.

Voya was beside me as I made my way back to my suit, hauling myself inside of it. This time she elected to remain sensibly on the ground, easily keeping pace with the slow, lumbering footfalls as we headed back the way we'd come the hour prior.

" _Cie."_ She growled on our private line, " _No, we've had this conversation. You're supposed to be staying at the command post."_

I fought down the urge to growl in irritation. Now was very much not the time for Voya's usually hidden protective streak to come out. "You weren't complaining earlier."

" _That,"_ She countered, " _Was pushing back a scout team. Not jumping into a massive battle."_

"Do you want to jump in this and coordinate?" I asked. "And you were all for going with Shepard on a blind commando run."

There was an irritable little sound. " _I'm not as critical as you are to the corporation, and I at least have a cloak to get me out of trouble."_

I snorted softly, "You're critical enough to me, and you wouldn't retreat from a fight unless I ordered you directly and we both know it. Now stop complaining and watch for heavy weapons."

Voya made a few more grumbling noises, purely for form I thought, then went quiet and stayed in my shadow. By the time we got to the riverfront both detachments were forming up and preparing to make the advance, one squad of the armor keeping up a steady barrage of the ruined buildings on the east side.

A quick glance at the formation showed it mostly sensible, though a bit weak in the rear for my state of mind, and that was corrected on the move as the impromptu-assault move out in three columns; one on each bank, one in the open bed, with two units of armor and a platoon of infantry following a hundred meters back as a reserve.

I'd forgotten how... disconcerting it could be, to fight inside of power armor.

My heavy cannon thundered as I moved with the first unit, the Tears sensibly pulling back rapidly against the unexpected advance. Beings in dull red and white armor tumbled as the oversized weapons tore into their shields and body armor with equal disdain, their retaliatory fire barely noticeable whenever they tried to make a stand.

" _Kean."_ Shepard's voice was tight as we reached the curve in the riverbed, our formation tightening up as we moved into city. " _You've got problems."_

"No shit. Tears swung north away from us, formed up to hit Okeer." I replied tersely. "We're moving after them to try and keep their attention."

" _Not what I meant."_ She snapped back, gunfire cracking hard across her end. " _Okeer's people are going insane, some kind of drug cocktail they took, they're attacking everything they see, and warband just charged out of the building."_

Oh. Well... shit again then. "I'll pass the-"

" _Sir!"_ A Batarian male snarled on the emergency channel, Ul Norin I thought, " _The Second Line is reporting a heavy advance from the compound!"_

My teeth ground together, Athame's fucking azure... "Can they hold?"

" _They had just engaged the Tears advancing in that direction."_ He growled, " _It's turning into a mess, quickly."_

I could hear it even as he said it, a cacophony of gunfire exploding somewhere to the west. More worrisome were the deep roars that, distorted by the buildings and ruins or not, still managed to sound furious and bloodthirsty.

Well shit. I had thought that the main engagement would come when we hit the old bridge a kilometer ahead, or when Hallus's group hit the Tears landing zone. Dammit, that's why I hadn't bothered to have him pull back the First Hunters from where they were lurking to give Shepard an exit if she needed it. The notion that Okeer's people would charge out to meet us had been something I'd only worried about earlier.

Shit.

"We're shifting left." I snapped the order, "Light mortars to entirely support the Second Line, First Hunters to double time it to them as well. Hallus, continue your push and see if you can't draw the Tears attention. Shepard... fucking find that asshole."

There was the characteristic scream of a Berserker before a shotgun boomed and the sound ended. A second shot rang out, then Shepard replied, " _Working on it."_

Voya let out a quiet little titter of amusement, bounding around and ahead of me before I could stop her. She vanished a moment later, easily staying out ahead and becoming little more than a blur of displaced air as she checked our new route of advance.

I followed at my best speed, vaguely noting Hallus's startled agreement to the shifting priorities. The moss and vine covered riverbed sloped gently up to the old beachfront, small shrubs giving way as the unit on that side turned and ahead towards the fighting, myself following along with the unit that had been moving up the river.

It didn't surprise me overmuch that I was able to catch up to the leaders, the old muscle memory letting me move more quickly and surely over the broken ground. The unit ahead, and I had to guess that Voya had gotten onto a private line with them, shifted their positions to prevent me from passing them, two in particular making sure to keep close.

The sounds of combat were joined by orders, alerts, reports, and cursing as I checked the Second Line's channel to try and get an image of what we were facing as we moved forwards. Beyond 'chaotic and going to the deeps' I didn't get much, and our arrival in the fairly open area around Okeer's compound didn't really improve matters.

Having evidently been created by the fallen frames of two skyscrapers, the Krogan had intelligently cut down those trees that had tried to grow in order to create a partial kill zone. Of course, that would have done them a lot more good if the idiots had actually _stayed in fucking place_ instead of charging out like idiots.

As it was, the entire area was a bloody mess.

It was easy to see the old battle lines, where the Tears had been besieging Okeer from, and there was still a good number of Tears manning them. They were engaged with Krogan, wearing both Tears scarlet and white along with an odd maroon and black, who were charging out from the complex, along with our Second Line who had tried to setup on the left.

Our people had apparently drawn in the Tears local reserves, who had charged hard into the right at the same time as a detachment of Okeer's Krogan had hit them on the left. For more fun and games, it was clear that more Krogan were pouring out of the compound just as Shepard had warned, at the same time as the Tears' main attack was emerging from the north-east.

There weren't all that many of Okeer's forces left, maybe a hundred or two, but they were still Krogan, still heavily armed, and quite as obviously out of their minds with blood rage. For their part the Tears were badly out of position, strung out, trying to deal with too many crisis at the same time, but doing a credible job of reacting quickly, desperately rolling with the punches and lashing out as they did.

"Infantry left!" I snarled as I held the trigger down, sending rounds between my two bodyguards to hit a group of Turians as they opened fire on us. "Armor to hold this intersection and link with the Second! Voya! Find a spot and call for the artillery!"

I heard her acknowledgment just as everyone noticed our arrival and reacted as could be expected.

The Tears reacted with a flurry of largely useless conventional fire, realized the futility of what they were doing, and then smartly began to pull back and direct heavier fire in our direction while trying to shift their small arms towards the rampaging Krogan or the infantry we were trying to cover with our bulks as they rushed left to support the faltering company still being driven deeper into the ruins.

As much as I wanted to move up with the others, I forced myself to stay back, coordinating and commanding like the Director of a corporation should.

"Watch right!" I snapped as a suit went down, a missile hammering its right side and sending shards of armor flying. "Unit two form up and suppress that goddess damned nest! Voya, where's our mortar fire!?"

" _Coming!"_ She replied as the first rounds began to fall, small airbursts detonating about two hundred meters away, somewhere near where I thought the main Tears force would be. " _Shit, actual armor incoming, hover types!"_

I spat an oath and flicked my gaze around my HUD, trying to find places where I could direct the gangly suits to take cover. There was enough time to direct one unit forward and one right before three hover-tanks popped over the ruined section of the fallen skyscraper and lit off a volley of missiles.

"Shields!" I, and at least a dozen other people, all screamed at more or less the same time.. more or less pointlessly, given how fast the projectiles flew.

They'd focused their fire on Unit Three, the one the most strung out as they covered our left and the tenuous link between our position and where the infantry were moving into the heavier rubble where the Second was rallying. They had the least amount of cover, and had been open to fire from several directions as they tried to block for twenty or so members of the First Line as they moved to link with the Second.

Five Blades in suits died more or less at once, the heavy missiles intended to breach Krogan tanks blasting through the barriers, omni-panels, and armor with equal disdain. Three more went down amidst the explosions, alive from their shrieks of surprised pain, but clearly down, as were about half of the soldiers who had been trying to use them as cover.

"Athame's azure." I spat, the tanks already having pulled back before we could properly retaliate. "Advance front! Into the rubble, now! Close the range!"

" _Director!"_ Commander Ulok growled, " _There's a path on the right, I can take Unit Two and my command team to flank them!"_

 _"_ Go!" I snapped as I lumbered forwards, running the figures in my head. "Second Platoon, go with them!"

Behind us, Ulok surged forwards, fourteen other armored suits following along with the fifty infantrymen who had been lurking in reserve. A platoon and a half, give or take, had already made it to the Second's position, that left a similar number to dive into the broken terrain with thirty or so armored suits. And I had no idea if that was going to be sufficient to push through.

"Hallus!" I snapped as I made a gesture with my left hand, the grenade launcher on that side automatically spitting out three high-explosive rounds to suppress a group of Tears as I lumbered behind a shattered wall, "Tell me you've got their attention!"

" _We're encountering heavy resistance."_ He replied, " _We're drawing a heavy number of them back."_

I grimaced as a heavy cannon roared in the distance, armor-piercing rounds slamming into a suit that had been tardy in getting to an old trench. The pilot managed to get their shield up, the technical panels and armor shattering but keeping them alive as he or she all but threw the heavy machine into cover. Somewhere nearby was the distinctive, rapid _crack-whump_ of another suit firing off propelled anti-armor grenades, followed a few breaths later by a Batarian woman snarling a curse to indicate she hadn't gotten the tank before it pulled back again.

"Good." I told the Captain, "Keep their attention."

" _Not an issue."_ He assured me as a grenade exploded on his end, the line cutting as he prioritized his own job.

A shimmer of light drew my attention left, Voya ducking behind the same ruin. She had purplish blood on her, though her sniper rifle was in her hands rather than a blade, meaning she'd probably snuck up on someone and blasted them at point-blank range. An Asari someone, from the color of the liquid. "We've got more problems."

I didn't think I could take more of those. "Asari?"

"Commandos are lurking ahead." She confirmed. "All in black."

The words had barely come out of her mouth before a sequence of missiles struck the remains of the wall we and several infantrymen were hiding behind. I swung my shield around on reflex, Voya diving behind me as a good bit of rubble fell towards us, raining down onto my armor. Grimacing, I angled my shield left and took a step right, covering both my lover and the soldiers nearby as best I could.

As the wall finished falling, filling my vision with dust before the suit's VI cycled through vision modes to clear it, conventional rounds screamed in as the tank sighted in on us. Its weapon, a slightly heavier variant of the one in my right hand, hammered at my weak barriers, then into my tower shield. If the tank crew had had another three seconds, they could have probably done a lot more damage, maybe put me down... but they didn't have that kind of time.

They'd gotten too greedy in remaining visible long enough to wait for the building to fall, and at least five other suits had sighted on them and opened fire with their shoulder mounted grenade launchers. The propelled grenades weren't nearly as destructive as the opponents' anti-tank missiles, but a good dozen hit the thing in rapid sequence even as the pilots lit it up with their own light cannon.

The tank, a boxy, Turian type with a fixed gun forwards and boxy launchers mounted in a turret near its rear, vanished behind a wave of sequential explosions... and then its shields failed. Evidently that had been its primary protection, because its hull all but flew apart as armor piercing rounds and grenades got through to hit something vital.

A snarling roar of approval came from across the comms when the tank detonated, some measure of angry confidence returning.

"Advance by half-unit!" I snapped out, flicking the fingers of my left hand in a gesture. The shot up and useless shield released from the suit's left arm as I completed it, freeing the limb of its weight. "Fire and advance. Voya, a reverse barrage to flush those commandos would be nice!"

"Since when am _I_ the artillery spotter!?" She snapped back irritably, but I heard her relay the command, path, and sequence all the same.

Then it was time to enact the process that soldiers had been using for centuries. Half a unit, be they infantry or power armor, would emerge just enough to throw out as much firepower as they could, hardly aiming, hardly caring about heat, just caring about filling the air with enough flying metal to keep the enemy pinned down. While they did that, the other half would dart forwards to find pieces of cover from where they could take up the job of providing covering fire so that the others could catch up.

The main problem remained the bulk of the armor in comparison to the available rubble, especially as the Tears got smart and started using missiles, grenades, and carnage rounds to blast apart what few walls and columns were large enough to hide our bulk.

We ended up in two rough lines after a pair of leap-frogging movements, infantrymen about twenty meters in front of the armor who had joined me in a collapsed ditch, the last piece of cover we had between us and the lip of the fallen skyscraper where the two remaining tanks continued to lurk, firing off missiles to kill three more of my people, and made five others bail out of their ruined suits to be tended to by medics.

Things finally turned in _our_ favor when the mortar teams far to the rear got themselves settled, and apparently Hallus had freed up the heavier ones for our use as well. The lighter models worked as I'd instructed Voya, working in a reverse creeping barrage, starting near where the tanks lurked and then moving back towards us. The hidden Asari, who evidently had massive quads to stay down and patient even as Tears fought and died around them, promptly threw up barriers to protect their heads.

The line infantry didn't need my shout to key on that, napalm and nullification grenades flying towards the shimmers of biotic light, and Asari began to shriek, just barely audible over the gunfire and explosions.

Meanwhile, Voya had evidently directed the heavier mortars to fall on the tanks themselves. The high explosive projectiles wouldn't do much to them given that they were anti-personnel types, but I understood her line of thinking even as it happened. Actual tanks were rare in the Terminus, more due to the annoyance of transporting and maintaining them than any other reason, but that also meant that tank _crews_ were rare.. and probably inexperienced.

Sure enough, as the largely harmless explosives plummeted down around them, one of the crews panicked. They surged side-ways and forwards in the same motion, the driver trying to get clear of the barrage. I locked onto him, along with a half-a-dozen other suit pilots, and rocket propelled grenades screamed out in rapid sequence from our launchers. It was gross overkill, but there hadn't been time to coordinate a proper fire pattern, and the tank more or less exploded as thirty plus projectiles struck it in rapid sequence.

The detonation flattened a good squad's worth of Tears and a handful of black-clad commandos who had been trying to get the fuck out of the lighter artillery raining on them, and Voya joined a nearby unit of infantry in ventilating the stunned targets with the staccato rhythm of carefully aimed fire.

That still left one tank, and the goddess knew how many infantry, when our _second_ good break came in.

The final hover-tank abruptly lurched above the lip of the fallen building, its entire near side on fire, and its unbalanced engines actually flung the thing up and over to slam onto its roof. Ulok's flanking force abruptly became visible as they moved up the same building, the armor highlighted against the smoke and sunlight, grenades and cannons firing as they moved. Infantry were more briefly silhouetted before they rushed aside to take proper cover.

"Armor advance with me!" I snapped, my legs moving, flat feet crushing their way up the old ditch. "Infantry stay down, advance when we move past! Artillery walk it back away!"

" _Flanking force dig in!"_ Ulok added, his deep voice hot, eager, vicious. " _Cut them down, focus fire on the main body!"_

A moment later a growling Turian called out his own orders, instructing the Second Line and what elements of the First that had reached them to start advancing behind a wall of smoke grenades, to throw the attackers out of the ruined buildings they were fighting within and around.

The Tears remained competent despite the artillery still coming down on them and the flank attack that had cost them their own armored support. They realized that they were being pinned in by several forces, and that power armor was driving right at them, and elected to get the fuck out of our way while they still could.

Smoke grenades of their own combined with jammers that fucked with even our suit cameras, our line of sight shortening up to a few meters.

Voya growled as she followed me, the remaining members of the armored platoon reaching the base of the fallen tower and starting to move up its heavy slope. "I fucking hate competent enemies, especially when this was starting to go so well."

My mouth was snapping open to remonstrate her for taunting the goddess when the bitch of a deity decided to do it for me.

The stone and metal or whatever the fuck the building was made out of bloody _exploded_ not more than a meter in front of me. My first guess, that a mortar round had fallen short, washed out as a form emerged, hauling itself up from the building.

It was humanoid, about seven feet tall, all gleaming black armor done up in elegant curves. Flaring metal curled away from its head in a crown-style take on Asari scalp tendrils, a thin visor catching a single ray of light that managed to penetrate the smoke. With a grace that belied its size, it more or less hopped the rest of the way out of the hole, then turned slightly and stared at me in something like shock.

"Well... shit." Voya had time to murmur, and then the Asari built battle-suit brought its wrist mounted weaponry to bear, and shit got _complicated_.

* * *

 **AIS Status Report – Corsair Project**

 _Admiral Sung,_

 _We have finished our examination and occupation of the militia base on Horizon, and General Ozawa has proved as accommodating as he was prior to our withdrawal. The local government remains difficult to work with but our repulsion of the attack last month has won us enough goodwill to continue operations for the foreseeable future._

 _Unfortunately, the other deep-Traverse colonies are proving to be less willing to allow us to resume anti-pirate operations. New Canton and Nagato both indicated they were quite satisfied with the mercenaries they have hired, and the governor of Pskov actually threatened to open fire if we attempted to land. We had more success on Ferris Fields, the colonists welcoming the intervention in the civil war and protection against the raiders who have been abusing the situation._

 _Our investigations into the disappearances at the smaller colonies continue. I understand the political factors that insist Aria or T'Ravt is using the mercenaries, but we have no evidence that they are doing anything but fulfilling their contracts. Scattered accounts and recordings seem to point to Geth or Cerberus involvement, I'll have my agents continue to investigate as they have the time._

 _Rear Admiral Pavlovich_

* * *

 _ **Next up is Operation: Press Ganged VII**_

 _Reverting a little bit, to try and inspire me to actually get a move on with the points of view. Doubling up perspectives was easy enough when it was the old crew taking the leads, but Shepard is proving to be more of a problem. The next chapter may be her or Nikita as a result, but I'm hoping that by cutting it down to just the one perspective I'll be more motivated to stop gaming and actually make progress._

 _So, in the old style, we're ending on a nice little cliffhanger and getting a bit of a news update._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	17. Operation: Press Ganged VII

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Press Ganged**

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 **Date:** 08-23-2186

 **Location:** Okeer's Compound, Kattachak, Anti-Spinward Terminus

* * *

I had to fling myself entirely across the room to avoid the Krogan's swing, the eezo-powered warhammer whipping through the air I had just occupied before slamming into a nearby wall. The berserker snarled from within its helmet, shook off the rubble that had fallen from the ceiling at the blow, and then turned to pursue me.

Using a touch of biotic energy, I ricocheted off the floor and bounced past the massive creature before it could react, firing my rifle as I went. Already battered armor started to come apart, small holes appearing as the piercing rounds penetrated. He let out another furious bellow, spun, nearly took my head off with another swing, and then used the momentum to twirl his weapon up to bring it down and crush me.

The old, real me would have probably been hit and killed by any of those attacks... but the new, artificial me easily kept pace with my upgraded opponent.

Dodging left, I kept up the fire, steadily adding more and more wounds as the attacks grew weaker, slower, the massive man dying slowly as my bullets found organs and cut tendons. After perhaps thirty seconds he fell to his knees, his left leg too torn up to support his titanic weight, opening his throat to a final burst that put him down for good.

"Target down." I reported tersely, "Sitrep."

"We've dealt with the mercenaries attempting to hold us from the elevators." Miranda reported promptly, half shouting from where she and the others were out in the main area of the industrial complex. "All Batarians, all in Tears colors."

I grimaced, "Defenders or attackers?"

"Defenders." She supplied, "We aren't seeing any additional movement on this level."

"Good." I exhaled, stepping away from the leaking corpse. "Secure the elevators and lock them at our level. Garrus, status on overwatch?"

There was a soft click across the comms, " _Last elements are leaving the courtyard, heading out to join the mess. Not sure Kean got your warning in time... it's hard to tell what's going on out there at this point."_

I couldn't help but grimace. As much as I didn't quite like him or his people, they were still allies right now, and I didn't like the idea of them being butchered. "Get down here, time to find out what's in the basement."

" _On the way."_ He replied.

Grunting, I stepped out of the room where the berserker had been lurking, taking in the complex around me as I headed towards the small area containing the others. The building itself was massive, maybe an old factory of some kind, all built with some kind of twisting alien architecture that was subtly disturbing. Against it the almost ramshackle nature of the Krogan's modifications was almost pleasant in its familiarity, the ramps they had thrown up to let them move up and down and across the broad spaces.

Not that there had been all that many enemies inside. Most of the ones we had encountered had all been outside, set as pickets who had ignored my one attempt to inform them that we were here to help Okeer. The Krogan had shouted that their Warlord needed no aid from weaklings, and then set about trying to kill us.

We had retaliated in kind, and then moved into the building while the Asari huntresses who had escorted us got to work dealing with the remaining guards outside. Inside there had mostly been empty rooms, living quarters mostly, and it had taken us a while to find offices and terminals that could tell us where the hell Okeer had gone, and where the labs he had to have were.

The answer to both, evidently, was underground.

"Do we have a map?" I asked as I arrived, seeing Miranda's team securing an elevator while Liara and Kasumi checked out a nearby stairwell.

"No, Commander." EDI replied, the AI's synthetic body hidden beneath body armor that made her almost indistinguishable from any armored human woman. "However, analyziation of the city's size and structure would seem to indicate it will be extensive."

"Right." Of course it would be. "My team, we're heading down those stairs right now to reconnoiter. Miranda, when Garrus gets here you'll take the lift."

"Understood Shepard." Her response came with a nod, Taylor and EDI taking positions of cover nearby while my own companions formed up to take the stairs. Kasumi, her suit entirely covering her features, vanished behind a shimmer of soft sparks as her cloaking system activated. The door opened of its own accord, and Liara and I gave her a handful of seconds before moving to follow.

Much like the ground floor outside, greenery had attempted to breach even the stairwell, though from how flat and torn the vines and grasses were it was clear that the stairs had been used recently. Moving down carefully but quickly, we traversed three flights of stairs before arriving at an open doorway.

"Not seeing anything." Kasumi's disembodied voice was a quiet whisper, and she made no other sounds as she moved ahead. "Tunnel... might go into something like a cavern up ahead."

"Check it." I murmured in reply, "Carefully."

"Always." She replied cheerfully, "Back in a moment."

I felt Liara's amusement roll out for a brief moment, echoing my own. Even in the middle of an all too-creepy factory, probably filled with biologically upgraded Krogan of all things, and Kasumi still maintained her cheer. I wasn't sure if that was just her method of coping with danger, she wouldn't be be the first combat veteran I'd met who used humor in that way... or if she just had a few screws loose.

"Probably both." Liara offered quietly, likely using our gentle bond to guess the direction of my thoughts.

"Probably." I agreed, shifting my rifle up a bit. "Kasumi?"

This time her voice came across our helmet comms, soft and quiet. " _Tears, six, moving past... they don't have the symbol we've been seeing on the defenders."_

"Signal when they've moved past," I replied, "We keep one alive."

She clicked her tongue, and then twenty seconds later murmured, " _Now."_

Kicking off from the floor, I surged forwards, my natural affinity for the act of running merging with the artificial muscles in my body to let me reach speeds normally reserved for slow vehicles. Part of me, the dark and wild beast I had once been, thrummed in excitement as I exploded out of the tunnel, emerging into a broad tunnel. Six targets were directly to my left, lights mounted on their armor lit, letting them pick their way through rubble.

Two Turians, Four Humans or Batarians. The former had to go down first, they were faster, more lethal, and less likely to reveal anything when questioned.

One was acting as the rear guard, and had started to react to the sound of my footsteps. I fired on the run, firing twenty rounds at full automatic from less than five meters away. All struck the Turian around his cowl and helmet, blue blood exploding out as his neck and visor were ripped apart, clawed hands still trying to get his own Phaeston up.

He hadn't yet hit the ground when the other Turian simply exploded in bits of offal and equipment, Kasumi having evidently attaching one of her little bombs to his person. My body still in motion, I bounded over the first corpse even as he fell, focusing on my next target. Batarians were extraordinarily strong by human standards, and uncanny artists when it came to snap-firing, but these hadn't been facing the right way or expecting an attack.

I took the first with the gleaming omni-bayonet on my rifle, whipping it across a neck. The alien tried to scream, just gurgled as blood spurted, dropping a shotgun as it futilely tried to stem the flow. Ignoring him, I turned to the next just in time to catch a pistol round with my helmet, another Batarian snarling as they fired.

My reaction was automatic, my hind-brain noting the facts of distance, my inability to halt my momentum, and their own advance. Freeing my left hand from my rifle, I made a yanking motion, little used biotics snapping out to rip the weapon from his hands before he could take the next critical step and get it inside my barriers.

Side-stepping a punch he threw at me as a follow up, the man reacting with remarkable alacrity despite losing his weapon, I kicked at the side of his leg as I moved past. Bones broke audibly, and he dropped with a deep, yowling roar that cut off as I rammed the bayonet into his visor.

A flare of blue light heralded the end of the fight, the last two targets being dealt with by my companions. Liara held one down with her biotics, keeping them immobile, while Kasumi negligently stepped over someone she'd evidently stabbed in the back of the neck with her little blade.

Sucking in a slow breath, I felt the urge to try and relax despite the fact that my heartbeat felt as if it had never elevated.

"Right." I spoke, forcing down yet another reminder of what I was now. "You, who hired you, and what did they hire you to do?"

The Batarian needed a much longer moment, and I belatedly noted that the entire engagement hadn't lasted more than ten or twenty seconds. Her voice was more than a little shaky when she managed to reply, "What... are you?"

I tried not to twitch at the question and instead repeated myself. "Who hired you, why are you here?"

The mercenary swallowed, helmet shifting as much as the biotics restraining her would allow, probably looking at Liara, and then at Kasumi. "Are you with the Blades?"

Liara made an irritated sound, one hand glowing softly as she maintained the partial stasis, but brought the other up and formed her fingers into a gun-like gesture. "If you continue to stall for time, we will simply move on."

"Wait!" The gasp came at once, "Wait! Your word, your word I can go!"

"Fine." I crossed my arms, twitching my chin towards Kasumi. The thief nodded, stepped back, and vanished from sight again. "Word given. Who hired you?"

The woman's shoulders relaxed a little, clearly revealing that she thought us to be Blades, or at least Xenthan. "Some Republican bitch, I didn't get to see her, but the boss said she was a pillars-damned piece of work. Old matron I think."

Not the Matriarch herself then. "Why did she hire you?"

"She wanted Okeer." She replied simply, "Alive, preferably. Bonus for any data we can recover about his projects."

Nothing we hadn't expected then. Liara exhaled softly, taking her turn to ask a question. "Despite another branch of your corporation protecting him?"

"Deserters." A restrained shrug, "Okeer stopped paying, they were supposed to leave. They didn't."

"All right." I grunted, Kean would probably be disappointed, he'd been rather hopeful the Tears were actually disintegrating. "Do you know what's down here?"

There was a hesitant, telling pause, "Service tunnels of some kind, we think Okeer's primary labs are down here somewhere along with the old fuck."

My eyes narrowed, "How many of your people are down here?"

"Few others squads." Another attempt at a laconic shrug, a subtle effort to make it seem as if that had been what she didn't want to say.

Liara made a low, annoyed sound in the back of her throat. "Who else is down here? Your employer? Others?"

Our prisoner let out an almost startled hiss, but anything she was going to say was covered up by Kasumi, "Shep, we've got movement farther down the tunnel... moving across, intersection maybe."

Dammit. I took a step forwards, and Liara dropped the restraints just as I threw a right cross. The Batarian woman's helmet bounced off the stone wall behind her, and she went still, though there was just enough of a shift to her chest to make it clear I hadn't killed her. It wasn't the best solution, but we didn't really have time for anything better.

"Miranda, Garrus." I spoke as Liara and I got moving, following Kasumi's voice farther down the tunnel. "Are you down?"

Silence and quiet static was the only response. I slowed slightly, "Garrus? Kean? Any surface contact?" More nothing. "Liara?"

She was already checking her omni-tool, flicking it on and off as quickly as she could before confirming, "Jammed."

Christ this just kept getting better. "Kasumi, I need you to double back and find the lift. Get the others over here, we'll setup at the end of this tunnel."

"Hai," Something, a subtle blur of displaced air, drew my attention to the right for a bare moment. "Don't go too far without us."

"We won't." Liara assured her, moving up to my left as we got moving once more. As always, fighting beside her was... strange. Our bond didn't let us converse with actual words, but the emotions and feel was enough to let us coordinate without the need to actually speak. When we were both calm and relaxed it was barely there, a background connection only barely noticed, but when our lives were on the line... it seemed to strengthen somehow.

Aside from the quiet scuffing of our boots, we made no sounds as we moved, my rifle and her pistol at the ready. It didn't take us long to find the connecting tunnel, stretching away on the left, but far shorter on the right with a glow of light visible around a turn not more than ten meters ahead. Not hesitating, or stopping, we continued our reconnaissance, only slowing as sounds became audible. Movement, a good deal of it... I frowned and listened, picking out the groan of machinery moving.

And then, fucking typically, there was a deep throated bellow of alarm and all hell broke loose.

"Fucking Christ." The oath came out before I could stop it, gunfire abruptly roaring to life just ahead, echoing madly in the confined space. Surging around the corner, I skidded to a stop almost at once as I got a good look at a broad underground cavern... and Okeer's apparent real base of operations.

It was massive, at least three football fields long, a third of that wide. Massive columns had been erected to support the roof, all of them glowing faintly with eezo nodes evidently installed to help. The sheer _cost_ of those alone was staggering even before I noticed the ranks upon ranks of stasis pods organized in neat rows, a dozen plus open surgical suites that looked to be state of the art, three obvious armories, and god knew what _else_ since I didn't really have the time to look around.

Krogan, and strangely, _Salarians,_ were everywhere, grabbing weapons and firing at attackers moving in from tunnels about a hundred and fifty meters down the cavern from where I had nearly stumbled into it. They moved with the quick reactions and surety of purpose you only saw in combat veterans, taking cover behind what was available and setting up cross-fires to pin down the attackers.

Said attackers were mostly Scarlet Tears, but I could also pick out larger shapes of gleaming black moving behind and then ahead of them. I sucked in a breath as the first Asari battle-suit, a Gale-Wind model I thought, stepped out of a tunnel and opened fire on the nearest Krogan with the short barreled weapons mounted in either arm.

The cool confidence that Liara had been exuding died about as quickly as my own, the count rising as commandos joined the mercenaries and battle-suits. Several dozen each of the first two, and a solid twelve of the last, up against maybe fifty mixed Krogan and Salarians who clearly wouldn't be able to hold out for more than a few minutes.

"Right." I muttered, "That's a bit more than we can handle. Can you see Okeer?"

"No... wait, yes. There." My eyes snapped up at her direction, and I saw a titanic Krogan up on the third level. He had a deep black crest that was visible for a moment before he pulled a helmet on, one hand resting on some kind of massive cannon. "Goddess, we need the others."

I felt my teeth clench a little. I wasn't sure we had the time, but the two of us plunging out there alone wouldn't accomplish much. So instead we waited, trying to puncture whatever jamming was blocking us, while we watched the fight unfold.

Okeer commanded via booming loudspeakers, forming up his people into proper defensive positions that left the attackers stuck in crossfires when they tried to push out of the other tunnels. The power armor grew gun-shy almost immediately when Okeer settled his weapon and hammered the lead target. Other Krogan, all as large or even larger than he, joined in with carnage rounds, heavy machine gun fire, and two with missile launchers that quickly put down the front suit.

The attackers subsided, falling into a low-intensity kind of fire pattern that lasted about two minutes before there was a flurry of grenades from the far side of the cavern. Five or six Salarians went down in sprays of green blood as another commando unit came rushing out, several of them setting up heavy sniper rifles while the others took protective positions to cover them.

"Fuck." I muttered as the rifles boomed, putting down two of the Krogan closest to the other tunnels. That opened a gap that the Tears promptly used to get a squad out of the tunnel, taking cover behind a row of stasis pods.

All the while, I could see Okeer directing a small group of other Krogan and Salarians, all of them frantically working around a single stasis pod as well as a bank of haptic screens. I was focusing on them when Garrus and Miranda arrived, along with their teams, quickly forming up in the tunnel behind us as Liara tersely filled them in as to the situation.

Miranda moved forwards as my bondmate finished, taking a quick look for herself. "Dammit, Shepard he has to be getting rid of data, preparing to evacuate."

"I know, I know." I exhaled. Dammit, we were here to question and recruit him, not to fight him or his people... "Garrus, I want your team to setup here and support us. Miranda, you'll follow us, you and EDI get onto those computers and get anything you can. We'll cover you and try and get to Okeer."

She sucked in a sharp breath, clearly wanting to disagree, just as clearly realizing we didn't have the time to debate it. "What's our path?"

"Right side." I tensed my fingers around my rifle, shifting my balance slightly. "I'll lead. Liara? Keep them off me. Kasumi? Stay cloaked with grenades ready."

There was a quiet chorus of acceptance as everyone shifted positions, Garrus, Mordin, and Nikita stepping back enough for Kasumi, Taylor, and EDI to move up to the front. Then it was a simple matter to ensure everyone was ready before we rushed out to join the battle.

Our sudden appearance at the rear of the cavern did not initially draw attention from either side, something we were able to put to good use. Fighting down the urge to sprint, to lead, I forced my legs to maintain Liara's pace, the pair of us reaching the first level before Garrus found his first target. The thundering boom of his old rifle was distinct even through the cacophony echoing about, and I saw an Asari commando tumble back with most of her helmet gone. Mordin Solus joined him a moment later, technical mines whirring to harass and slow yet another group of Tears that had emerged from a tunnel far closer to our own, Nikita's pistol snapping out shots as she assisted in keeping them pinned.

The events and sounds drew at the attention of Okeer himself, the war leader turning to survey the situation. To my intense surprise, rather than opening fire, his helmet shifted as thundering __laugh__ escaped him. Then, waving a hand, he evidently directed two of his guardsmen to deal with the targets my friends had set up for them. Another evidently told his people to ignore us, several Salarians frantically waving us to move past their line of fire rather than engaging us as we moved past. Growling to myself, I snapped out a command for Miranda's team to take cover near a bank of servers and join the defense while I figured out what the hell this was about.

"So." Ganar Okeer rumbled as we reached his command post, the Krogan shifting behind a wall to give us some cover as we spoke. "My underlings spoke the truth... fascinating. Perhaps I should have known better, the Urdnot hail you as a harbinger of violent change."

I felt something in my face twitch. "You had them try to kill us because you didn't think I was real?"

"Obviously." He drawled the word, "The Matriarch had assured me that you were more than merely dead when we began this project, and while I did not expect such a ruse from Kean, I did not live this long by taking chances."

So, he knew Matriarch T'Ravt personally, or had at least spoken with her. Useful. "If we help you get out of here, I'm going to want answers."

It was hard to tell with the helmet, but something told me he was smiling at me. "Of course. I suppose that you will also expect me to tell the truth, and perhaps be obligated to work with you further?"

"If you would rather," I replied as my temper flared, my mind ticking off a count as Garrus continued to fire somewhere below. "I can kill you right now and stop the Matriarch from taking your data by blowing this place to hell. I don't think my allies would mind."

Another rumbling chuckle, my anger not disturbing him in the slightest. "As full of fire and threats as your reputation suggests. I ask one question before I agree, why did you seek me?"

"The Collectors." Liara answered for me, her voice cooler and harder than I'd heard it in a while. "We need everything you know about them, and your aid in counter-attacking them."

Okeer actually drew himself slightly at that, his helmet shifting as though he had just worked out the final piece to some great puzzle. "Ah... of course, of _course._ I agree to your terms. The data is being destroyed as we speak, but the pods in the row behind us must be moved, an elevator will-"

He never got to finish telling me where the elevator would take them because the ceiling above us exploded in a flash of fire and stones, most of which fell on the empty space between the attackers and defenders. Sunlight promptly stabbed downwards, revealing flashes of black and silver, and my eyes widened as the two battle-suits that had just fallen three stories resumed attempting to crush one another regardless of their changed situation.

The Blade model had evidently landed face-down, the flat armor slabs protecting the pilot, quickly heaved itself up and threw a punch that the smaller, faster Asari built suit only partially evaded. Further, from above, the sounds of heavy combat easily drowned out any mere noise. As though the resumption of the brawl down here was a starting signal, there was more crumbling and cracking as additional sections of the roof began to shatter.

Three more Silver Blades fell, along with a pair of Asari suits, and I could see infantry frantically scrambling away high above as things fell apart. Not all made it, figures in navy and red screaming as they fell, while commandos tried to slow their descent with biotics. That left them as ideal targets as everyone on my level overcame their shock and opened fire once more, and my rifle putting rounds through one even as Okeer's oversized weapon simply disintegrated another target.

Any chance that either Okeer or I had of directing the battle disappeared as the attackers used the brief distraction to rush out of their tunnels, flash-bangs and smoke grenades adding to the chaos.

"Stand!" The Warlord bellowed, "Defend the project!"

Stand? I vaulted myself off the platform before he had finished the second sentence, snapping out my own orders as I did, "Garrus! Cover Okeer!"

" _ _On it__ _."_ He replied instantly, and I could only trust that he knew me well enough to read the double-meaning of the order. Then I was flaring my biotics at the last moment, flexing my reinforced legs at the impact that would have broken natural bones. A second later a singularity screamed past me, Liara hurling it out to clear up the battlefield for me. Smoke and dust swirled after it instantly, forming an eye-catching kaleidoscope as the material was promptly sucked into a grey and black accretion disk.

It was enough to reveal several struggling figures from both sides, and I zeroed in a pair of Tears who had just put down a trio of Salarian scientists.

Accelerating up to what Liara called my 'combat speed', I focused on the left target, hitting him hard and repeatedly from bursts from my Phaeston as I moved at the diagonal towards the right-hand wall. He staggered, moved to dive for cover as his shields failed, then collapsed when Garrus finished him for me.

My attention snapped to the second target before the first hit the ground, a five round burst hitting his shoulder as he flung himself behind a stasis pod. Not slowing down, I sprinted along the wall, then vaulted the six foot pod in a motion with a gentle push from my biotics. The Tear didn't even seem to notice my landing behind him, the cacophony of battle obscuring the sound of my landing and his helmet evidently lacking rear-facing cameras.

He probably had no idea what happened when I drew my inwardly curved knife and severed his head with a single heavy swing.

A flare of alarm and warning screamed through my bond with Liara, and I threw myself to the side on reflex to avoid an Asari battle-suit that slammed into the wall with a deafening crash. The pilot recovered almost instantly, threw herself to the right as though unencumbered by hundreds of pounds of metal, dodging a massive metal pole that slammed down where they had just been.

There was a booming Batarian curse from the Blade suit that had swung it, its left arm limp at its side, its right arm hauling the make-shift club up for a second try. Unfortunately its opponent was simply too fast, the Asari almost twirling inside his guard to shove an arm inside rent arm panels. Muted gunfire flashed, and the Blade recoiled backwards, stumbled, and collapsed, the pilot either dead or too wounded to manage.

The singularity expired, releasing a puff of smoke as the accumulated dust succumbed to gravity, the dark pulse of light highlighting the suit as it turned to engage me.

Regrettably for the pilot, the time it had taken them to kill their first opponent had given me enough time to drop my rifle and draw the grenade launcher from my back. Six armor piercing grenades exited the barrel in as many seconds, hammering at the suit's shields and driving it back several steps.

Okeer and Garrus finished it for me, the former's cannon hammering aside the last shreds of protection before the latter put a sniper round through its visor in yet another display of impossible accuracy.

"Show off!" I growled, returning the launcher to my back and kicking my rifle into my hands.

Flares and biotic strikes flew down from the enlarged hole in the roof as Blades above started to provide some cover fire for those of us stuck down here, the battle turning in our favor more quickly than I would have thought, the Tears falling back rapidly even as the Asari commandos and battle-suits tried to hold us off.

It wasn't until the jamming ceased and EDI was able to break the Tears' communications that the responsible event became clear; the Tears had had enough and were pulling out, in some cases shooting their way past the Asari who had hired them when the Matriarch's people made an effort to stop the retreat.

Kean, who had evidently only just avoided falling down here while brawling with an enemy suit, was content to let them go given how disorganized his regiment had become thanks to the urban fighting. It still took the better part of an hour to deal with the remaining commandos, and those Krogan who had evidently gone mad on the surface, but it was largely mop-up work followed by consolidation.

"Right." The mercenary groused a further thirty minutes later, having found a safer method of dropping down to where we were. He'd removed his helmet, revealing long hair matted and greasy with sweat, "What the fuck was all that about?"

Beside him, Miranda crossed her arms, the three of us and our companions not quite encircling Okeer and an armored Salarian who had been keeping his mouth shut up until this point. Only two of Okeer's personal guard had survived, along with a half-dozen Salarians, and none looked thrilled about the fact that a good fifty or so Blades were currently rifling through their computers or else standing guard above and around.

"Cieran ul Kean." Okeer rumbled, regarding the lithe man, and then the petite shape behind him. "And your Taker. You were both quite efficient in discovering the flaws of my early efforts, along with your companions."

"True." Kean agreed, "But irrelevant. What are the Salarians doing here? You hardly need them."

"No." The Warlord agreed in turn, turning to regard the skittish man beside him. "They were the price of the Matriarch's assistance in understanding the Collector technology I was given. Interrogate or kill them as you wish."

"What!?" Said Salarian all but yelped, "You c-can't! We are allies, we've been working with-"

I sighed, knowing what was coming even before Okeer stepped forwards and smashed his crest into the man's head while he was still protesting. The scientist reeled as his helmet's visor shattered, revealing green features cut up by glass he fell on his ass.

"They were marginally useful," Okeer continued on, as if nothing had happened. "But their primary goal was anathema to my own."

Liara sucked in a sharp breath, "They want to cure the genophage?"

A titanic shoulder shrugged, "After a fashion. They wish to modify it, to create a new strain that renders Krogan into docile beasts of burden to be poked and prodded by Salarian wills while allowing the full range of births. A new leash to collar those fools on Tuchanka with."

"A new army." I grimaced in disgust, "A renewable, disposable one. Mordin?"

There was a heavy inhalation, "Movements exist within STG, advocate for such plans. Dalatrasses prevented action in past, if now released... implications unpleasant."

Unpleasant was an understatement. If the Salarian Union was as corrupt with Leviathan influence as the Republics, and if that same Union was in the market for a disposable army... that implied they wanted to _use_ that army for something.

Christ, as if I didn't have enough problems and worries.

"Miranda," I spoke slowly, trying to work out my thoughts. "What do you want to do with them?"

Lawson shrugged, "We need information, they have it. I would be happy to have my people interrogate them once we're sure they don't have tracking devices within their persons. Depending on how cooperative they are will depend on how we treat them after."

Which was a bald-faced lie and from the way Taylor clenched his jaw he knew it as well as I did. If the prisoners went to Peregrine base they would never leave it again, but I couldn't exactly give them to Kean and expect anything different. Hell, Miranda would probably be far more merciful in her interrogation techniques than he would, even if the end result was the same.

Christ... it wasn't as if I could do anything with them. Letting them go was out of the question, and I couldn't give them over to Spectre Severa either. If they were legitimate STG operatives, and I was sure Mordin would have indicated if they weren't, then she'd need Council clearance to do anything with them... shit. She would probably just give them to the Hierarchy to be dealt with quietly rather than risk official notice, especially since her last message had indicated that there was another Spectre keeping tabs on her.

Same result as Kean, more or less, but with added risk that the habitually less-than-covert Hierarchy would be able to keep it quiet.

"Take them." My throat tried to clench up around the words. "Miranda."

The Salarians clearly heard, clearly knew what was happening, but so did the Blades. Each of the seven natives of Sur'kesh were hammered into the ground by huntresses in navy and silver before any could make it more than a couple of steps. Hand and ankle cuffs were secured rapidly, and then knock-out drugs were being jammed into necks and arms. At least one Salarian, from the way he abruptly began thrashing, managed to do something to poison himself before he was taken, but the rest were out before they could do the same.

Through it all Okeer simply watched on, tremendously unconcerned. If anything he seemed more focused on us, his attention shifting from myself, to Miranda, then to Kean, visibly considering which of us had the most authority over the other two; trying to decide who he would negotiate with.

Trying to not consider the men who I'd just consigned to death, I crossed my arms and spoke up, "All right. That was what they were doing, so what were you doing, and what do you know about the Matriarch?"

He snorted, a cavernously deep sound, "She is a puppeteer, a cowardly wretch who forces pawns to do her work for her... but she is also intelligent enough to obscure her true motives. In exchange for a primer on Collector genetic techniques, I was to allow these fools to work beside me and benefit from my own research."

Miranda put a hand on her hip, "Your own researching being the drugs, the improvements."

"Side-effects." Okeer almost sneered, "Minor projects for my students to learn from. The true project was something greater, something pure. The perfect Krogan."

I fought the urge to sigh, tuning out the megalomaniacal rant about his counter to the genophage. I supposed that was the down-side of knowing things before they happened, you still had to sit through it actually _happening_. As the speech continued, spurned on by comments from Mordin, I made a mental note to ask Nikita how she'd gotten through things like this in the past.

"You'll come with us to Omega then?" I asked when he finally finished. "You'll assist us against the Collectors?"

That seemed to make the old Krogan smile, "I will go with you, but I will not fight the Collectors beside you. That... will be perfection's first test."

* * *

 _ **Silver Blades Communications Server**_

 _Archived Message_

 _Cie,_

 _The contingency arrived and helped us deal with the opposition, we're heading back towards the planet. Shockingly the locals are being a lot more polite this time around, they're clearing out of our path and promising to make sure the surviving Tears don't get off-world._

 _In good news, I've got our salvage teams checking over the remains of the ships for anything we can use, if nothing else we can trade them to Aria or Die Waffe as scrap._

 _In bad news, your mother is still a frigid bitch._

 _Contact me when you have pick-up times and places,_

 _Joa_

* * *

 _ **End Operation: Press Ganged**_

 _Truth be told, I'm not thrilled with this chapter, but I really don't want to take the time to re-do it either. It gets the important pieces of information out there and ends the arc with the pick up of Okeer and Grunt, more on their relationship and their relationship with Shepard to come._

 _We're moving into the interlude phase now, with the buildup for the next arc beginning._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	18. Interlude IV: Campaign Promises

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude IV: Campaign Promises**

* * *

 **Ragged Ice**

 _(Charlotte MacKinnon)_

 **Date:** 09-22-2186

 **Location:** Afterlife, Omega, Sahrabarik System

* * *

As a rule, I didn't care for my own species overmuch. Even the eldest tended to have all of the maturity and self-entitlement of an Asari Maiden, petulantly whining about the dangers of the galaxy as if petty morality and mere words would be enough to protect them. As if the elder beings _owed_ them protection when they rushed about like children, creating enemies left and right.

Most utterly failed to understand how pathetically lucky our species actually was. If not for the Asari seeking to limit Turian power, we would have been ground into dust and turned into a client race of the Hierarchy. If not for the Salarians seeking to deliver a body-blow to a still recovering Hegemony, the Batarians would have enslaved us all and razed the Earth to the bedrock for our temerity in stealing their priceless colonial prospects away from them.

And the swaggering... Athame's bleeding azure, combine the swaggering with a young generation who had never tasted real war, toss in an overdeveloped sense of entitlement, and I could entirely understand why most of the galaxy considered us to be little more than arrogant little jack-asses.

Heinrich Bauer exemplified the latter.

He was arrogant, cocky, and just skilled enough to be dangerous... but owed his position and power entirely to Aria's largesse. She had needed the Stormwall yards to be owned by someone who would actually utilize them, yet had been unable to act herself as neither Ganar, Weyrloc, Sederis, or T'Ravt would have stood by and let her monopolize capital ship construction. He had simply arrived at the right time with the right assets for her to utilize him as a cat's paw.

According to the Lady's intelligence network, a good third of his inner circle were on Aria's payroll, ensuring that she had someone in place to remove him should he prove intractable. But I supposed I would give the Germanic rat his due, unlike those fools in the Alliance he at least _understood_ the circumstances he found himself in.

I just wished he wasn't such a self-important, bombastic cunt.

"The meeting will come to order!" Heinrich Bauer, looking far more fit than he had the last time I'd had the displeasure of meeting him, bellowed from the auditorium's floor. "Attention front!"

Silence fell, but not instantly. More than a few of Aria's pets elected to continue speaking for several more moments, just to make it clear that they didn't consider him to be their warlord. The most obnoxious display came after the final mutters subsided, just as the self-styled steel king was opening his mouth.

Everyone glanced to the left side of the room as Ithiri Sediers thudded both of her boots onto the table in front of her, lounging back in her chair with her hands secured behind her head. A chorus of muffled snickers came, as much from what she'd done as from the theatrical way my eldest rolled his eyes beside her.

The two were clearly as happy to be here as I was.

"We will begin." Bauer growled in his thick accent, glaring at the Asari for several moments before forcibly returning his attention to the room at general. "Given the targets of this campaign, the involvement of allies, and the nature of the Geth, we will not be operating in the stand Incursion formations. Instead we will move in separate task forces each with their own objectives."

As he paused, one of his subordinates, wearing similar olive drab though with a smaller amount of the hideous gold braid, quickly brought up the room's primary displays. The holographic tank in the center threw up a zoomed in image of the Perseus Veil, known Geth locations, and where Quarian colonies had once sat. In contrast, the two-dimensional screens on the walls listed various forces by name or commander and denoted which force they would be included within.

I didn't bother looking at any of it, the oaf would monologue it all anyway.

"As you can see, we have divided the target region into five zones." The Warlord waved a hand at the image as he began to pace, circling the tank. "The core zone around Rannoch is of the least import to the majority of you, given that the Black Fleet will be tasked with assisting the Migrants there."

Beside me, Lord Admiral Ahala stirred, the old Turian raising himself with the aid of his cane. Despite the dull coloration of his plates, his voice remained deep and strong, "And who, Steel King, will comprise the Black Fleet?"

Bauer paused, then inclined his head politely, probably because the old man had used his self-absorbed title. "That will be discussed once target zones one through five have been assigned and elaborated upon."

Ahala twitched his mandibles once, then nodded and sat, clearly annoyed that his attempt to forestall it had been thwarted. And, soon enough, Bauer began over-elaborating what exactly he wanted each of the different task forces to do. Those minor warlords assigned, probably by Aria, to command that various zones made a few attempts to seize some operational control for themselves only to quickly run into the man's idiotic obstinacy.

Four hours passed in an increasingly dull blur as Bauer micro-planned the colonial seizures for pirate kings and _ha'diq_ who would no doubt throw out such plans the second they left the room. If nothing else it further reinforced exactly why Leska Sederis should have been given command, and also explained why she had sent her sister here in her stead. She must have known in advance it would be a waste of time, and as proof said sister had evidently fallen asleep about an hour in.

My patience snapped when he finished with zone four and started on zone five, and I rose while planting my hands firmly on the table. "Enough. When do we depart?"

Bauer turned to glare at me, "I did not recognize you, Lady Admiral."

"Obviously." I replied flatly. "The lessers will handle their assignments or they will die piteously, micro-managing them is a waste of everyone's time. Get on with it."

The lessers looked both relieved and insulted, where Bauer was solely the latter. "Considering that the other warlords will be free to establish themselves once their tasks are complete, it is imperative that they-"

"Die Waffe." The voice was a like a whip-crack, Ithiri Sederis having opened a single eye. "The ice-bitch is right, get on with the core shit."

The sole human member of the Greater Warlords clenched his fists, but visibly forced himself to relax. "Very well. The departure paths and times will be sent to all who are currently present. Representatives from the Eclipse, Empire, Collective, and Aria's domain are to remain."

Beings rose and moved, an instant rumble of conversation beginning as Aria's guards opened the armored doors to let everyone out. They did so with credible alacrity, a few giving me grateful looks that I ignored entirely. Within five minutes there were only a select few left, most of whom took the opportunity to spread across the room.

The sole exceptions were Ahala and I, and Ithiri and my eldest, none of us seeing the need to relocate.

"I suppose we can only hope that they accomplish their objectives on schedule." Bauer grumbled as most of the others moved to the lower rung, where they could more easily hear him. "And do not dissolve into infighting."

Oran T'Loak, dressed in a red leather variation of her Queen's outfit, snorted, her accent as prissy as ever. "Of course the little darlings will, that's what they _do_ dear Heinrich. They will accomplish their missions sooner or later, and those that survive the fighting over the suit rat's old worlds will be the stronger for it."

"Quite." The German replied irritably, "Heiko, update the displays."

One of his subordinates, a dour faced male, did so. The primary display zoomed in to center on Rannoch, along with the old inner-colonies of the Federated State. Purple icons flared up to indicate known Geth bases and shipyards, with silver markers showing Mass Relays, and small white sigils portraying the current positions of the Migrant Fleet.

I leaned forwards onto the table, finally interested in the proceedings. The core of the suit rats' forces were near the galactic edge, but they had dispatched their Patrol fleet to probe Geth defenses around Haestrom.

"They are behind schedule." I noted, not at all surprised at the delay. "Haestrom should have already been taken."

"They encountered a battlegroup near the edge." Bauer replied, waving at where the core group was located. "Destroyed two Geth dreadnoughts and two dozen cruisers, but had to hold position while they conducted repairs."

I pursed my lips, "When will they be moving on their target?"

"Within the next two weeks." He nodded slightly at the map again, "Which is why our primary plan is shifting, elements of the Patrol fleet are indicating that the Geth are moving large numbers of ships to Haestrom, away from Rannoch."

Interesting. I mused on that for a few moments, wondering as to the machines' strategy. If they intended to go on the offensive against the Migrant Fleet, Haestrom was the logical place to consolidate at, given its relay connections to the galactic edge. But empirical evidence indicated that the Geth had more than a few means of spying upon us... they had to know that we were gathering and forces were moving in their direction.

Either they weren't worried about it, or they didn't mind leaving Rannoch open to us.

Ahala let out an low, flanging growl as he reached the same conclusion. "They must have fleets within the veil, ready to receive us."

"Probable." Came an exotic lilt, Ul Yesh's wife and Admiral reaching up to tap a finger against her Indian lips. She was far too young for such a rank, but I could admit that she was a clever little bitch. Once a Captain in Weyrloc Zaen's navy, she'd seen the writing on the wall during the war, created a conspiracy of fellow officers, murdered their leaders, and then fled to find the first lesser warlord they could seduce and join.

"They are merely machines," She continued, "They could have easily rebuilt those forces lost to the Council by this time. It will make our campaign difficult."

T'Loak waved a hand dismissively, "The little kings will reveal whether or not they have, we can wait to act until they have done so."

"I would prefer it if they actually accomplished their objectives." Bauer countered, "Otherwise we will have to deal with those worlds ourselves."

Aria's pet gave a magnificently unconcerned shrug, "There are always more fools willing to die for wealth and glory, dear Heinrich. If any of the zones falter we can call up more support from the core-ward zone, or even the Traverse."

"Yes." My eldest son spoke in his cold, crisp tones, his words thick with sarcasm. "Because we can so obviously afford to throw away ships before the real war starts."

Oran turned to glare furiously at him, "I don't even understand why _you_ are even here."

"He possesses six heavy salvage haulers." Bauer replied, almost mildly nodding to him, and then to a Batarian seated in the far back corner. "And _Ha'diq_ ul Cotan has twice as many. Much of our payment will be in Geth salvage, involving them seemed prudent."

The Asari twitched unhappily, looking even more displeased that the Batarian was present than she was that my son was nearby. Not that her reaction surprised me, Aria's cabal loathed anyone who advocated for even limited variations of law and order, and Cotan was as rigidly traditionalist as his species came. If not for his rampant racism, he and Ciarán would have likely created a formidable alliance within Doru.

"In either case, Director ul Kean and Admiral T'Loak are both correct." Bauer continued, "We must use the weaker lords and ladies to probe the Geth's defenses, but we cannot allow them to be obliterated. Some losses will be expected, of course, particularly amongst the weaker fools, but those more powerful must be preserved."

"Then what do we do?" One of T'Loak's subordinates asked, another Asari with overly complicated markings, "Dividing the core fleets to support the weaklings invites us being destroyed in detail."

"We have no choice." The Warlord replied flatly, "Our objective is the destruction of the Geth, thus we must pursue them where we find them. To that end we will be dividing into three task forces. We anticipate that the majority of the Geth will be facing the Migrants, or at least moving in that direction, and so my fleet will be positioned to counter them."

As he spoke, his second updated the screen once more, highlighting Haestrom and those worlds nearest to it with blue light. Relays shifted color in turn, showing where he intended to breach the Veil and then lurk until the Geth battle-fleets could be found.

"Aria's fleet, under Admiral T'Loak, will cover zones two and three." He continued as red markers covered the 'center' of the Veil, "You will be given a list of those _Ha'diq_ and Pirate Kings who should be protected should they stumble into a situation."

Oran grimaced but nodded, "Fine, I'll keep the babes alive. You throwing everyone else onto the rimward front?"

" _Ja._ " Bauer glanced significantly at Ithiri Sederis, "Leska Sederis shall command that front, the force to be comprised of the Eclipse, the Collective, and the Imperial task forces. You will be tasked with those systems laying between Darush and the Dark Rim."

I exhaled sharply, "I assume we will not receive any aid from Cessa."

The German didn't quite snarl at the Asari's name, but he did bare his teeth unpleasantly. "Aria was able to negotiate the usage of her ports, should you require refit. I would move in strength should you absolutely _need_ to move there."

My eyes narrowed, "The Conquest yards will not be available?"

"They are too close to both borders." He rolled a shoulder awkwardly, clearly trying and failing to emulate an Asari shrug. "I have already shut them down and begun to move them."

Ahala exhaled words, just loudly enough for me to hear, "And he'll conveniently forget where they are when asked."

"Obviously." I murmured back. "We'll find them, sooner or later."

My fellow Xenthan Admiral made a rumbling sound of agreement, and then we both fell silent as Bauer finally moved on to the pertinent data. All of the fleets would begin moving out in sequential order starting out next week, and do so by 'zone' in such a fashion that we would hit the Geth in a rolling wave from Haestrom towards the galactic rim. First his fleets and those lesser warlords assigned to the area around Haestrom, then Aria's Black Fleet and attendant support for zones two and three.

We would be leaving in eighteen local days, along with everyone assigned to the final zones.

From there, it would be a fairly simple two-step campaign with space for independent operations between them. Once the lesser warlords had cleared the old outer colonial zone, they would be free to fall out over the spoils and the heavy fleets would move in and secure the various relays leading to Rannoch. After the Migrants and Die Waffe had secured Haestrom and completed any running repairs, all of the available forces would move on the Quarian homeworld and destroy any remaining Geth.

Per tradition, all commanders would be largely independent to fight and operate in their own fashion beneath the overall strategy.

As the fighting moved on, my eldest and those other minor warlords with salvaging equipment would follow the campaign and accumulate materials. Ciarán was quick to demand escorting warships to ensure no one got any ideas, a move that Caton and a few others quickly supported. After an idiotic amount of debate, it was decided that the Eclipse would provide the extra ships after my eldest bluntly indicated that he wouldn't trust T'Loak's people to handle it.

Intelligent, if less than tactful.

As the meeting broke apart, Ahala and I met with our staff outside, and then awaited our escort. My eldest emerged from the auditorium a few minutes later, a heavy cane striking the ground with every other step, coat kicking around his ankles as he slowed to regard us coldly for a long moment before flicking his eyes to round up his personal companions. Two Asari and a Quarian rose from where they had been relaxing at a table, their own coats shifting to reveal their weapons laden belts as the moved into an escort position around us.

We made our way as a group to Afterlife's private aircar lot, where Ciarán and his people directed us into four separate aircars, one Blade in each on the off-chance an idiot tried anything during the trip. And probably to remind us that they were watching us at all times, and would always have someone in place to act if we abused our status as guests.

I elected to travel in his vehicle, bringing two of my aides who I knew could keep their mouths shut along with.

He remained silent until the car had lifted from the pavement, drifting into line to wait for the signal to depart. "I hope you are not expecting some kind of heart to heart."

"Hardly." I rolled my eyes, "I am not Koliva, as I told you on Xentha. There are a few personal matters that must be discussed, but that can wait until we have some degree of privacy. Professional affairs must come first."

One of his fingers tapped the controls irritably, putting us into motion. "Define 'personal matters', and why I should agree to any such conversation."

"It involves Cerberus." I paused, then amended, "Likely the branch you are not sheltering."

An angry hiss between his teeth came out before he could stop it, "Those _keshin..._ fine, we'll talk in my office. Get on with the professional crap."

I folded my hands in my lap, creasing my ostentatious white dress uniform slightly. "Given that we will be remaining on station for eighteen days, arrangements beyond our basic plans will have to be made."

He grunted, then frowned slightly in consideration. "We don't exactly have hotels, or free residential space. The casinos have a few rooms, but nowhere near enough to fit even a third of your people even if we reserve all of them."

"Could residential space be utilized?" I asked.

"No." Braided hair shifted as she shook his head, "We're overcrowded as it is and Ven's struggling to make sure we don't have a homeless issue. There would be riots before I could even finish the order."

My upper lip curled slightly, "We will have to establish a rotation through those casinos. Four days per shift should be sufficient... a shuttle service to allow others daily passes would be serviceable in addition."

"I'll have Ven contact the owners and set up something at the docks." He paused, eyes going slightly distant. "We'll have more space as our ships finish being repaired, might be able to dock some of your smaller ships directly."

"That would be ideal." Currently our ships were docked somewhat awkwardly, thanks to the layout of the district's docks as well as the fact that half were occupied with Blades ships still undergoing repairs and refits after their Cerberus campaign. Further, there simply weren't any sections capable of holding either of our dreadnoughts.

To that end, we had ships docked laterally to the station where possible, with more docked to them in turn, while our flagships held station a few kilometers out along with whichever escorts that were on-duty. It was functional enough, but it was an awkward arrangement that no one was quite satisfied with.

"And the costs will be decreased?" I continued. Not that I expected him to have forgotten his half of the deal that had seen part of my task force support him at Kattachak, but it seemed prudent to remind him.

Ciarán grimaced, "Yes, at the venues I sent to you. The others will still be at the usual prices."

"The inflated prices you mean," I retorted dryly, "Your people increased their prices the moment we docked."

He rolled a shoulder, not ashamed in the slightest. "If the prostitutes want to gouge your sailors that's hardly my problem."

Especially not when he'd be taxing that income, probably heavily. My aides had already related more than a few complaints over how much the brothels were charging, and how amused the Blades had been when the pathetic bitching had been directed their way. I had been ready to execute anyone so stupid, and had only calmed once it was clear that it was Ahala's sailors who were doing the official complaining.

My own were likely bitching as well, but they weren't so moronic as to put it in writing. They knew we were hardly in the outskirts of the Empire, where I could decree prices by fiat. Ashen had raised Ciarán well in that respect; he knew his limits, but he also had a zero tolerance policy for encroachment upon his authority.

I glanced out of the window as we began a winding descent from Afterlife's perch, plunging down towards the towers of upper Doru. Illium Minor was noticeable instantly, thanks to the crescent of darkness that separated it from the remainder of the district.

"The siege continues." I mused, estimating the size of the dead zone, calculating how many guns were being wasted staring across the artificial no man's land. "Three blocks?"

"At the widest points." He grimaced, "Two on average. Either way it's making Aria furious, at both the Consortium and at me. We're not shooting at each other but no one sane is living in that area all the same."

I snorted dismissively, "That political bitch is always furious about something."

"We agree on something... wonders never cease. A moment." A hand rose to tap the communications panel, "This is the Director, on approach with VIP's."

The low, velvet rumble of a young Batarian female responded promptly, " _Your approach is clear, honored Reyja'krem. Landing zone two."_

"Confirmed two." He replied, taking manual control of the vehicle. "Any priority messages?"

" _Three sir."_ Came a quick reply, " _All from our guest Commander."_

Green eyes rolled, "Tell her to request an appointment."

The woman let out a breathy sound of amusement before she controlled herself, _"Understood, honored Reyja'krem. Escort is airborne and approaching."_

"I see them." I stated simply, watching as four gunships rose from a rooftop within Illium Minor.

"Confirmed." Ciarán replied, clicking the communications off before settling in to his seat. Our escort approached before falling into a box formation below us, revealing themselves to be older Batarian models that were obviously well-maintained, and remained with until we reached an open landing zone.

I found myself smiling in grim approval at the concealed heavy weapons clearly tracking our approach, heavy cannon and missile launchers neatly hidden in alleyways and the surrounding buildings.

"You can stop that anytime." Came a mutter as we settled down, "Seeing you smile is... unsettling."

"I am merely impressed with what you have built" I replied, throwing the door open.

"Good for you." He informed me flatly, exiting on his own side. My aides reminded me of their intelligence by saluting and then departing the moment I returned the gesture, heading over to inform the Lord Admiral that I would be remaining behind for now.

For his part, Ciarán exchanged a few words with his companions, then waved me towards his headquarters. The scarred Asari who I had met before gave me a mild look of distaste, but that paled in comparison to the murderous expressions worn by both the titan and the trophy taker.

I elected to ignore them. If they elected to kill me, I could hardly stop them, so there wasn't any point to being concerned. I was a pilot by trade, and had only the basics of self defense instilled into me. While I would consider myself reasonably skilled with a pistol, I didn't believe for a moment I would survive more than twenty or thirty seconds if T'Donna or Chi decided that I needed to die.

And that was assuming they suffered from a fit of temporary insanity and allowed me to know they were coming in the first place.

"What does she want?" Chi muttered as we walked, the crowd appropriately parting before us.

"Personal matters, involving Cerberus evidently." He replied, his heavy, weaponized cane clicking against the deck with every few steps. "I'm guessing it involves her family."

"Accurate." I nodded slightly, "The details should be discussed in private."

She grunted, the mask covering her nose and mouth moving as she grimaced, but she seemed to accept that. If either of the Asari was going to say anything, it was forestalled by a Krogan battle cry somewhere nearby.

All four Blades had their weapons drawn, though lowered, before I had even reached my own, their heads snapping around to locate the sound. A second later a deeper, heavier roar answered it, and there came the muffled sound of a heavy shotgun firing.

"Guess they woke up the tank-bred." T'Voth exhaled, her slender frame relaxing somewhat. "Think he's challenging Okeer?"

"Probably." My eldest grunted, lowering his cane from where he'd brought it up to his shoulder. "Two thousand that he kills the old fuck."

"I'll take that." The scarred woman snorted, holstering her pistol as the others did the same. "Illyan, you in?"

The titan considered that, glancing over the crowd, "You don't think Shepard will stop them?"

Ciarán snorted and motioned for us all to get moving again, "She's on the SR-2 meeting with Lawson, or at least she should be. Probably running her undead ass off to get here so he's on a bit of a time limit."

"Ah." T'Donna mused, retaking her position as rear-guard behind me, "She'll have to push through the crowd, sounded like they were in the training area... I'll put credits on the tank-bred. Voya?"

"Okeer." The trophy taker rolled a shoulder, "Age, experience, knowledge of his creation."

T'Voth gave her a sly glance, "You just want him to win so he's a bigger legend when you kill him later."

"If Cie ever lets me." Came the low grumble.

I fought the urge to sigh at the typical Taker attitude. They were always obsessed with finding bigger and better targets to go after, to inflate their metaphysical dicks to such a degree that men and women would throw themselves at them the moment they returned to the District. Evidently the three found her attitude amusing, though I had never been able to tolerate it except in the smallest of doses.

And of course he had inherited Ashen's complete lack of professionalism... and her obsession with delegation. Two Krogan evidently brawling in the streets was something worth only being bet upon and pushed off for the Spectre to deal with.

We fell silent as we resumed our march, leaving the probable dominance battle somewhere behind us. The tower that was the Blades' headquarters building came into sight shortly, and I forced myself to bite my tongue rather than remonstrate the guards who were lazily sitting rather than properly standing at attention. Had those soldiers been Xenthan they would have been flogged, but the past day alone had made it clear that Ciarán didn't hold physical discipline in the same position that most sane military leaders did.

It was good that Ul Massa at least did, it was hard enough to control Terminus rabble even when you could enforce proper punishments for transgressions.

The interior at least resembled a professional headquarters. Officers bustled about in their dark uniforms, the light catching the silver accents as they moved between various holographic displays and control consoles. Of course the numerous bars featured around the area were less endearing from my perspective, and I didn't miss the fact that more than half of the beings present had a drink in their hand.

"How many of your officers would pass an alcohol test?" I asked as we neared the elevators.

"Most of them." Ciarán replied blandly, "The bartenders have a system to keep track of officers, everyone has a maximum."

A heavy snort came from behind me, T'Donna speaking up, "What, you don't drink?"

I shook my head, wishing that I was more surprised. Mercenaries... they never had any _real_ discipline. If ul Massa had a similar policy in her headquarters I would have to seriously reconsider my opinion of my eldest's creation. "Not while I am on duty."

"Boring." Came the lazy reply.

"Sensible." I countered.

There was another snort before silence fell once again. All five of us piled into an elevator which took us to the top floor, revealing a wide lounge currently occupied by a dozen or so beings of varying species. Not all were in uniform, or even armed, but they either wore the distinctive trench coat or had it draped nearby.

As far as fashion statements went, I wasn't overly impressed... especially the squad that was so gauche as to have a nude Asari as their logo.

As far as intimidation methods, I entirely approved. By this point nearly everyone in the Terminus could recognize a Lancer by the distinctive uniform, and the rumors of their memorial hall had spread wildly thanks to a few Illium sludge-news sites. While I knew it contained nothing more than a token weapon or piece of armor taken from the opponent who had felled one of their number, most evidently believed it held the heads of everyone who had been involved in the killing... or even the tortured corpses held in cryo-stasis as displays.

The belief that one would be killed horribly for felling a Lancer made for a rather effective insurance policy, in my opinion. It had probably been one of the Trophy Takers to come up with the rumors, it was the way their minds worked when they could be convinced to work at all.

A gesture from Ciarán had me follow him as the others split away, the two of us moving through a doorway and entering a simple office. My first thoughts were those of approval; it was bare, basic, minimalist, entirely lacking in the insufferable treasures and glories that too many self-important idiots adored. He had a smattering of hard-used Asari chairs scattered about for guests, and the sole luxury he had allowed himself was the Baresha wood desk he sat behind, though even that was visibly battered.

"Let's get this over with." He exhaled as he leaned back in his chair, leaning his cane against the desk. "I have no interest in discussing anything personal or familial with you and you know it, so the faster you can talk the faster you can leave."

"I understand." I nodded, and I truly did. Ciarán, more than my other children, had taken after me despite, or perhaps because of, ul Kean's attentions. We were both cold, broken things... monsters who didn't see the need to deny being such. What point would there be? We were what we were, denial was a waste of time, and self-pity a pointless indulgence.

Further, I had no real interest in establishing a relationship with him. My emotional capability was already stretched _far_ beyond what I was comfortable with by my existing family, I didn't need additional problems. Nor, for that matter, did he.

"Then we will begin. Cerberus has evidently become aware of our relationship, and has begun investigating others on Earth."

A brown eyebrow rose, his expression mild, "Your point?"

Rather than reply immediately, I walked forwards and chose one of the worn chairs to settle into, using the time to consider my approach. He cared nothing about his blood relations on Earth, an apathy I could not help but be envious of. Active loathing stemming from a brutal childhood may have been empowering, but it could also be so very draining.

"The MacKinnon family," I began, speaking carefully, "Is the type of rich money that supported Cerberus' goals and agenda, and the notion of a family member even associating with aliens is infuriating to them. Between my departure from Earth and my arrival on Xentha, I killed or evaded two hit-men sent by the family to remove an embarrassment. "

"Ah." Hands rose as he pressed his fingertips together, "You believe Cerberus is going to assist them in making additional attempts, against both yourself and myself?"

I nodded, "Yes. They are petty in the way that only arrogant, rich fools can be. Your birth father's law firm was driven out of business some years ago, and he was driven to bankruptcy and black-listed. I do not doubt that they will endeavor to find ways to strike at you, if Cerberus has told them what your birth name was."

For a few seconds, his rigid control faded, revealing nothing but naked exhaustion and pain in his features and posture. He recovered almost instantly, running a hand over his face and resuming a rigidly neutral Batarian pose. "Another enemy... Athame's ass. Right, how much money do they have?"

"They own a controlling stake in a planet-side shipyard near Aberdeen, which produces corvettes for the Alliance." I flicked a few fingers, "Wealthy to be sure, but not unduly so. Their racism also works against them, any agents sent will be human."

He nodded slightly, "Competency?"

"Poor." I snorted, "They have the hard cash for skilled operatives, but they will attempt to spend as little as possible."

"That's something I suppose." He exhaled slowly between his teeth, "How did you find out about this?"

"One of my brothers is a priest, and he hopes to save my soul." My lips twitched a little when he groaned and rolled his eyes, "Quite. I do not respond to his messages, but he insists upon dispatching them regardless. His conscience evidently demanded that he warn me that our parents have new allies and information about who you are."

Ciarán seemed to consider that, then nodded slightly. "Annoying... but then again, I suppose that's the point. If Harper actually wanted us dead he'd send Kai Leng, and he wouldn't be so sloppy as to let your priestly brother contact you. He's sending a message."

"Quite." I agreed. It was typical Cerberus field-craft, from my sparse experience with the group; limited action covering a maximum of angles. First, he secured what aid my parents could offer, and likely gained further inroads into the British aristocracy at no real cost to himself. Second, he placated members within his organization who likely wanted to strike back despite their destitute situation. Third, by utilizing a tool he knew to be weak and ineffectual, he sent a message to us... or rather, to Ciarán. "Are we in agreement that he is offering an unspoken truce?"

There was a grimace, "Yes, though I'm doubtful as to how long that will last."

I fought the urge to snort, "You know exactly how long it will last; until the moment where he believes that the tide has turned against the Reapers and Leviathans."

"True." Another whistling exhalation escaped him. "Is there any other avenue on that side that they might try?"

Assuming that 'they' meant our blood relations, I shook my head, "Doubtful. Aside from Alexander I doubt any on Earth truly remember me, and my parents are aware that I could care less if they kill him."

Ciarán snorted. "Is that you being you, or him having done something?"

I rolled a shoulder, "A mixture of both. Suffice to say that I was unimpressed with his level of commitment when we were young."

In hindsight I wasn't terribly surprised, we had both been fumbling fifteen year olds, not fully grasping what we were doing. Even at the time I had known it hadn't been anything but a night of pleasure, but I'd been young and stupid enough to still have hope that he might flee with me when the time came. My more mature dismissal of the man had come from his ranting reply when I had sent him a message indicating that Ciarán had 'died' when Ashen absconded with him.

As if he had some mystical _right_ to the boy just because he had fucked me in a locker room eight years prior.

"Very well." He seemed to have pulled himself together entirely after his single moment of weakness, resting his hands on the armrests of his chair. "Perhaps a simple arrangement, a warning or notice if either of us becomes aware of active agents?"

"That would be acceptable." I nodded. "Though your position on Omega is more vulnerable to such actions that my position on Xentha."

"True." He allowed, "But all of the people close to me are lethal enough to handle themselves, unlike your family."

My fingers tightened momentarily before I forced them to relax, "I have taken precautions."

An eyebrow rose, "A Talon team?"

"Two." I corrected him. "And I trust that your people in Asariel will be able to protect Magnus when he is there."

His eyes rolled slightly, noting and dismissing the implied threat. "I will alert them."

"Good." I nodded slightly as I pushed myself to my feet, "I have little else, unless you wish me to attempt to follow my bondmate's advice and..." My mouth twisted a little, "Get to know you."

"Athame's azure no." Ciarán shuddered slightly, "Go, I'll have Ven send the updated plans to host your crews."

Once again I nodded, and turned to go. After two steps another thought struck me, and I paused before shifting my head to look back at him. "Cieran, I trust that you already have agents in place, but as you politely inquired about the defenses of my family, reciprocity demands I do the same about your own."

Green eyes widened for a brief moment, then closed as he forced himself not to react further. "There are Eclipse sisters watching them, though they aren't aware of it to my knowledge."

It was my turn to feel surprise, "Sederis is aware of the relation?"

There was a grimace, likely hiding some kind of complicated story. "Yes."

I inhaled sharply, something I'd thought dead stirring somewhere in my chest, the part of me that had become my bondmate awakening emotions I had spent a lifetime subduing. "You... are playing a very dangerous game with that woman. You have seen much, true, but you still have no idea what she is capable of. Ashen would not have approved."

He went very still, then clenched his fists and affected a glare that reminded me sharply of my own. "I thought we had agreed to not discuss personal matters, regardless of what your bondmate desires."

"True." I gave him a polite bow of my head, "Until our meeting tomorrow, Director."

"Lady Admiral." He replied flatly, "Until then, stay out of my building."

* * *

 _ **Personal Log of C. MacKinnon**_

 _09-11-2186_

 _I fail to see the purpose of this, but Koliva insists that I make the attempt in order to 'rediscovery my emotional side'. My refusal saw her inform me that I would be sleeping on the couch and could expect no sex for the foreseeable future, marking her third usage of that threat within the past standard year._

 _It likely says something about me that I was forced to cave immediately, but I am not in an introspective mood._

 _She suggested I begin by laying out my feelings in regards to my eldest and estranged child, given that I am about to depart for Omega and will be forced to work with him. Instead I will begin by recalling what I can remember about his actual mother, one of the few friends I can honestly say that I have had in my life._

 _Ashen ul Kean was... many things, and I suppose that her relationship with Ciarán could be considered proof for the 'nurture' concept of child rearing. I would say that her skills with gunsmithing were Quarian, but I have never met a Quarian as skilled as she was when it came to weapons repair and assembly. She was fiendishly and ruthlessly inventive, and ruthless in general, and felt none of the moral qualms so many inventors of lethal instruments succumb to. She was loyal to those she believed deserved such attitudes, and extremely devout in her faith._

 _She judged others solely on their capabilities and attitudes in the here and now, and treated past actions as merely indicators of how many precautions to take in the future._

 _Less pleasantly she could be extremely lethargic when 'uninterested' in current affairs, and basic maintenance was something for others to be bothered with. Further, she had no respect for others who did not hold Batarian titles and could get herself and others in trouble by offering snide comments to societal superiors at inopportune times. In hind-sight I believe that she may have done so merely to alleviate the boredom to which she so easily succumbed._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude V: Civil Discourse**_

 _And here was a chapter I was looking forwards to writing, hopefully it carries her personality across well. Expect more of her log files to show up here and there in the future to fill in more of her opinions on Cieran as well as additional pieces of the back-story that he lost._

 _I may be adding one more interlude in the bridge between Operations II and III, bringing the total up to five, mostly to better space the time between them as well as keeping current affairs in scope._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 _ **Review Responses:**_

 _BJ Hanssen → I mentioned this on the forums, but honestly I think I pushed Shepard into a chapter she didn't need to be in. What I should have done was just bitten the bullet and extended the operation by one more chapter, had Voya cover the rest of the fighting to culminate the cliff-hanger, then have Shepard handle the aftermath with Okeer._

 _V-rcingetorix_ _→ It's supposed to reference that she knows Okeer's goals and agenda from Liara's copy of Cieran's will. I know it wasn't precisely clear._


	19. Interlude V: Civil Discourse

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude V: Civil Discourse**

* * *

 **Branded Survivor**

 _(Shyeel T'Voth)_

* * *

 **Date:** 09-27-2186

 **Location:** Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System

* * *

I let myself into Cie's top floor suite, and found the place's Human resident in the small kitchen gulping down water. He was covered in sweat, and had already removed his shirt to reveal his impressively scarred torso.

"She's still on a rampage then?" I asked, taking care to lock the door behind me. Goto was supposed to be bothering our Xenthan guests, but it never hurt to be paranoid about the kleptomaniac.

He snorted, lowering his glass and waving a hand at his already bruising chest. "I hope that was rhetorical."

"Mostly." I admitted, "Let me guess, still on about Bourdin?"

"Yeah." There was a heavy exhalation as he took a step back, leaning against the refrigerator. "She's not as bad as I expected, to be honest, but she's still screwed up in the head... and that's fucking with Shepard since she feels responsible or some crap."

I blinked. "What?"

"Athame's ass, I have no bloody idea." His head shook, sending braids left and right. "I have a hard enough time understanding her when she's not freaking out about seeing a near-clone of herself."

"Suppose I can't blame her." Stepping farther into the room, I wandered over to the dining table and settled into a chair. "You going to shower or what? I can smell your sweat from here."

Cie rolled his eyes, setting his glass on a counter before crossing his arms. "Soon as you tell me why you're here four hours early for the strategy session. Aren't you supposed to be training the new teams with Illyan?"

"Yeah, but I conned Chek into helping her, figured we had crap to talk about." I rolled a shoulder in a shrug, "Illyan in specific."

He grimaced, "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

Considering how crap he was at emotions? "Probably not, no."

There was a sigh as he shook his head again, exiting the kitchen and heading for the bedroom. As he did, he called back, "At least make some food, and get the drinks out."

I rolled my eyes but got off my ass all the same, heading for the kitchen as I heard the shower kick on a minute or two later. Knowing from experience that it would take him forever to clean his mane of hair, I took my time in selecting things from the fridge and cabinets, musing as I did.

Shepard had clearly done a number on him, and this had been the third time they'd sparred within the last week. Not that, as I said, I could really blame the Spectre. Cieran was probably one of the few people who could even _sort-of_ keep up with her when it came to hand to hand combat, thanks to his personal aptitude for that kind of thing and the repairs his body had gotten after the fight with Ganar. If anything, he was probably more naturally skilled than her, at close combat at least, but the sheer power of her upgrades meant that it didn't really matter.

When they sparred, she kicked his ass.

Still, working out her frustrations that way was probably better than the alternatives... and the woman had more than a few frustrations to deal with.

First there had been the whole Okeer getting killed by his own creation thing, which had been followed up by Shepard having to show her dominance over Grunt when the tankbred had tried to challenge _her_ in turn. Seeing her smack down the young idiot had been amusing, particularly the part where she had headbutted him, but she hadn't seemed to appreciate suddenly gaining a Krogan teenager who followed her around hanging on her every word like a Varren pup.

Second had been her running into Bourdin, and having to deal with a near perfect copy of herself. Athame, considering that the poor bitch had Shepard's old facial scar and none of the subtle cybernetic tells, she actually looked _more_ like Shepard than Shepard did. Thankfully whatever hypnotic conditioning that Cerberus had tried to utilize had evidently failed, according to Trena at least, but the Matriarch's people had done their memory wipe with their usual skill.

 _Third_ was the fun fact that Illium Minor was overrun with Xenthan Imperia sailors and soldiers, in such numbers that they were nearly impossible to miss. Our Cerberus guests had more or less holed themselves up in the nearly repaired SR-2, with only Lawson coming out to meet with Shepard and Cieran at official meetings before quickly returning to her ship. Shepard and her people, excepting Goto, had become nearly as reclusive, almost never leaving the headquarters building.

Which had left all of them in close proximity to us... which was just so bloody fun.

By the the time Cie returned, wearing his usual loose dark clothes with his sopping hair tied back, I'd managed to assemble a collection of snacks and a pair of mixed drinks for us to enjoy. We settled at the kitchen table, and I let him take a few fortifying pulls from his Illium Moonrise before I spoke up.

"Right," I began, "So that mess on Horizon could happen anytime now."

He grimaced, leaning back in his chair tiredly, "Assuming that Horizon is the next target, yeah."

"Let's assume it is," I replied, leaning back in my own. "We're pretty much taking everything we can get our hands on, right?"

My sort-of-friend sighed, "I know where this is going. You don't think Illyan should come with."

"Athame's ass, she shouldn't even be _sparring."_ I shook my head, "Taking her on that little adventure to pick up Jacqueline two years ago was stupid enough and I told you as much. Taking her with into a war is only going to end one way and you bloody well know it. Fuck, you should know her better than the rest of us... she can't bloody help it, and one more over-stress on her system-"

"Could send her into shock, coma, death, I know I know." A pale hand rose and rubbed at his face. "Shyeel... I can't order her to stay behind, not after everything we've gone through."

I felt my lips twist at the reminder that only Trena had been around longer than Illyan at this point in his life. "Make her wear a damned collar then."

He gave me a helpless look, "And what happens if she needs her biotics to get out of a situation? She's fine so long as she paces herself."

"And she'll _die_ if she doesn't." I countered. "You're her goddess-damned Tarath'shan, order her to wear one. I know you love the maiden but _fuck._ Put your bloody foot down _._ "

Cie jerked a little as if I had just shot him, taking another long pull from his drink. "...shit. Fine, I'll make that a condition."

"Good." Something relaxed a little inside of me. I'd lost enough friends in my life, I hardly needed to lose another to something eminently preventable. "Here I thought it was going to take more to convince you."

There was a little shrug, "Maybe one of the compulsions Ghai can't figure out is to obey Asari."

I snorted, "Come over here and service me then."

"Fuck off." He replied cheerfully, lifting his glass in mock salute before sipping from it. "I'm guessing that's not everything, otherwise you'd have shown up twenty minutes early instead of a few hours."

I rolled a shoulder, "Been a while since we just sat around and relaxed together, figured it was past due."

"All right..." The last word came out as an unbelieving drawl. "That's a nice excuse, I suppose."

My mouth curled a little, though it didn't quite become a real smile. "How are you doing?"

Cie blinked, and I could see him consider misinterpreting me before he sighed and shook his head. "I'm still here, can't really say more than that. No new attacks or other issues that I've noticed, and Ghai seemed content before she left for Illium."

I frowned a little, "You sure?"

"Reasonably." His face pulled into a frown, "Why?"

"You're..." I tried to find the right words, "Starting to show side-effects of memory suppression, the kind of things that happen when someone melds with a mind healer too much. Voya noticed and asked me about it."

The frown deepened, "Damn it Ghai... what am I doing?"

I lifted a hand quickly, "Don't blame her, I don't think this is something she'd even notice since she's not around you all the time. It's... well, mostly your posture. You've been relaxing bit by bit for years, but it's accelerated lately. More Asari casual, less Batarian rigidity, and once and a while you do that head-tilt thing that Ghai does. Honestly Voya is more worried about the times you mess with your left hand."

He glanced at the limb resting on his leg, "I mess with it?"

"Once and a while." I nodded, "Like I said, Voya noticed, so did Illyan. It's... like a reflex action, you work your fingers in the same way you would after your attacks, making sure you've got control of it."

"Oh." The fingers flexed and curled as he kept looking at it, "It a bad sign?"

"Not so much." I shook my head, "I mean, it's behavioral shifts that would freak out most people, but by your standards it's minor. Noticeable yeah, but not dangerous."

There was a soft exhalation, "Not dangerous right now, or not dangerous at all?"

I shrugged, "Not at all unless acting a bit like Ghai is something you don't want. With how much the two of you have melded in the past seven, eight months you might as well have been bonded. Especially with how deep she has to go to help you."

"Ah." He murmured, shaking himself a little, "It's like a bond, just without the bond to reinforce things."

Not quite, but that was probably as close as a non-Asari was going to get to understanding. The posture and quirks came and went as time passed between his sessions, but the hand thing probably wasn't going to go away anytime soon. That was entirely him, his subconscious _knowing_ that something was wrong but being held in place by the minor compulsions and blocks that Ghai had laid out to protect his brain from itself.

So instead of breaking down and having a panic attack, he just kind of messed with his hand a bit, evidently without even realizing he was doing it.

"How's the insomnia?" I moved on, "Voya says it's been better since the two of you got together."

"It has been." He nodded slightly, "Comes and goes, but nothing compared to what it used to be. How is yours?"

The question caught me off guard, "It's... I've been fine."

Cieran gave me a look that told me how little he believed that. "Shyeel."

I grimaced, "I don't get the nightmares like you and Voya do, remember? I just can't fall asleep sometimes."

There was a snort, "Maybe we need to find you someone. Illyan's been doing pretty well since she all but moved in with Joa, though I could do without the invitations for four-somes."

"Really?" I could help but snort as well, "How the fuck hasn't Voya killed them for asking yet?"

"They've only asked me, they aren't suicidal." His mouth curled a little, "And way to dodge the topic. You can't tell me that you haven't had even one big-breasted maiden catch your attention."

I scowled at him, "They don't have to have giant tits just for me to like them. It's a _preference,_ not a requirement. And who says I haven't?"

"Your frequent trips to the brothels." He replied, shaking his at me as he leaned back, "Honestly, that's the kind of thing I'd expect from Illyan, not from you."

"They're experienced." I replied simply, leaning back in my own chair and kicking my legs up so that my feet landed in his lap, "Plus the massages are gifts from Athame after a sparring session, the sex after is just a nice bonus."

Cieran rolled his eyes, "Easy Asari."

"Prudish Human." I sneered in reply.

He let out a quiet chuckle and didn't make any move to knock my feet out as I got a bit more comfortable, "You mind moving on to business?" When I waved a hand for him to go on, he continued, "How is Aya's team coming along?"

"They're doing pretty well." I admitted, "Girl has a good brain in her skull, they should be ready to sail out with us when we go to Horizon. Can't say the same about the others, we've got leaders picked out but they're still working on cohesion."

"All right." He lifted a hand and rubbed at his mouth, "What do you think about the plan as it is?"

"What plan?" I replied flatly. "We're going to be grouping everyone up, plus those two idiot _Ha'diq,_ and then going to Horizon and just hoping the wind carries us in the right direction. Breaking down who is saving what city isn't a _bad_ idea, but we've got no bloody clue if we'll even be able to fight the Collectors at anything like even odds."

He grimaced, "Fair point. You got any suggestions?"

"Yeah, go with your original idea and tell Shepard and Lawson to suck it up and deal." I shook my head. "We drop everyone at New Progress and fort up in the facilities we built for those ungrateful assholes. Let the other cities handle themselves."

"Let them get carted off you mean."

"Yeah." I shrugged, "Those sons of bitches _bombed_ us, shot at our ships, and cared more about getting cash from Cerberus than about actually supporting the people keeping them alive. Forgive me for not really caring about them... and you bloody don't either."

He shrugged, wordlessly admitting it. "I suppose I can try and convince them."

"Maybe try having someone else talk to them." I suggested, "Maybe someone who actually understands what the words 'diplomacy' and 'tact' actually mean."

Cie blinked and gave me a credibly guileless expression, "When do you want to get started then?"

"That's not funny."

"It's a little funny." He protested. When I merely scowled, he sighed and shook his head, "Fine, fine. I'll go with the usual plan, see if I can't convince Lawson that saving one city for _sure_ is better than _maybe_ saving several. If she broaches it to Shepard there's a chance that she won't flip out again."

"Well," I considered, "You can always say we'll secure New Progress _first_ and then move to the other cities once we've secured the biggest population center. You know it'll be the main target as it is."

From his bleak expression he didn't expect that to soothe the Spectre any, but since neither one of us could come up with anything better we simply moved back to how the training was progressing. While Aya's team was doing well, the other two were having personality issues that Illyan and I were trying to stamp out. Our best idea was to have both teams head down into the lowers on a live-action training run, where they'd have to get along or else get themselves shot up by the gangs who didn't like us.

Cieran had mulled on that for a little while before giving us permission, though he wanted one of the full teams to head down and shadow them. Since Taro had seemed bored lately, we settled on his. As far as actual objectives went, we went with the old standby of a raid on whatever slavers' dens the Tersatani gang could identify for us. The Asari would be all too happy to move into any space we cleared for them, and had proven to be very skilled at convincing freed slaves to join them.

We were just wrapping up that conversation when Voya arrived, looking both tired and annoyed as she stalked into the suite.

"How was the paperwork?" Cieran asked, a note of vicious cheer in his voice.

"I hate you." Came the snapping reply, "Why didn't you tell me that Ven was going to send all of his estimates today?"

"You were going to have to do it either way." He replied, "I didn't want you trying to bribe Erana again."

"That was _one time_." She growled, stalking past us towards the bedroom. Cieran and I both watched her go, though he was far more subtle about noting how fit her ass was. He gave me a somewhat arch look when he realized I was also looking, and I sighed and got up to make new drinks by way of apology.

Voya emerged while I was still in the process of mixing everything, having changed from her uniform into the same kind of light pants and shirt that Cie was wearing. After giving me her own drink request, she settled down beside Cieran at the table and the two quickly resumed bickering in their almost painfully endearing way.

It was probably the thing I would miss the most about them, a century or two from now.

I blinked at the blender in front of me, then scowled as I furiously stabbed the button to turn the bloody thing on. Now wasn't the time for me to have a 'I've only got a two hundred years before I'm a Matriarch' crisis, especially considering my current company. Cieran was going to be lucky to survive _two_ more years, much less two hundred, and if he died I couldn't imagine Voya maintaining her sanity.

Athame's ass, Illyan probably wouldn't be far behind her either. The big idiot may have been bedding Joa every night but the young maiden was still very much drowning in how much she cared for Cieran, and how unfair it was that his mental trauma had stopped them from ever really finding out if they could work. Sooner or later she was probably going to do something foolish that would either see Voya _seriously_ go after her, or a minor miracle would happen and she'd end up in their bed.

I could only hope that she had the sense to wait until after the war to make the effort. The last thing any of us needed right now was to be distracted by turbulent romantic crap.

Bringing the collection of drinks back to the table, we all settled down with our beverage of choice; another Moonrise for Cie, a Fusionairre for me, and a mix of Turian brandy and soda for Voya.

"So." It was the last who spoke, a clawed finger tapping the side of her glass. "We're just waiting on Illyan then?"

"Pretty much." I replied, "She knows I came early, figure she'll find an excuse to show up sooner than our scheduled start."

She let out a quiet huff, "So we start without her then."

"No." Cieran didn't change his bored tones in the slightest, but the single word still managed to have a finality to it. "Was there anything important in the day's work?"

Voya scowled slightly, "It's all important, otherwise it wouldn't have gotten to you."

"Don't be obstreperous."

" _Keshin._ " She muttered as I snorted, covering my grin by taking a sip from my drink, enjoying the burn of it going back. "Most of it was just the economic evaluations and estimates, both for here and for Redcliffe. Some data on the fleet repairs and purchases."

I perked up slightly, "Joa got her work orders finished?"

"Yes." Noting our interest, she quickly rolled her eyes, "No, I don't remember all of the details, I don't have a grey-box recording everything for me. I think the _Reliant_ is supposed to be repaired by the end of next month."

Cieran hummed softly, "That's a few weeks ahead of schedule. Did she push back other repairs?"

Voya frowned, pursed her lips in thought, and then shrugged helplessly. "Maybe?"

I could only sigh, "I'm starting to think you made a mistake having her handle the onerous aspects of your job Cie."

"Yeah." He shook his head, "Same."

The Quarian let out a mewling growl as she took another drink, "Do you have any idea how many reports I had to read and approve today? I marked the important ones for you to go over later like I was supposed to, no one said anything about me having to give you a summary."

"Suppose you have me there." Cieran shrugged, "Have you heard back from Halia?"

She had, the other Trophy Taker having returned to Xentha and begun spreading the word that the Blades would be establishing recruiting stations for all branches including the Lancers. Evidently there was a reasonable amount of interest in the latter amongst the Trophy Takers, and as many as a dozen were already on their way here to volunteer.

That would be a good addition, especially if we mixed them along with the existing recruits. Of course there would be the obvious problems, most would probably understand teamwork and cohesion about as well as Voya had back when we'd first formed up the Blades. She'd gotten better, but it had taken Cie hitting her over the head repeatedly to make that happen, and I couldn't imagine other Takers would require anything less.

"What," I asked after she indicated that the stations were due to open next week, "Do you think we'll get?"

Voya shrugged, "Likely what we expect, plenty of sailors and engineers, a few who will want to join Hunting units, and next to no one wanting to be assigned to Line."

"Not everyone enjoys being used for target practice." I agreed, giving Cieran a significant look as I did.

The Human scowled at me when he noticed, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means your left _arm_ has more scars than someone walking out of an SIU torture chamber." I replied, "And that's with Illyan soaking bullets for you half the bloody time."

There was a snort, "I'm not _that_ scarred, Voya would never-"

"Finish that sentence," Voya growled, "And you'll have a few new scars."

I couldn't help but smirk, "Is that what you two do for foreplay? Bit kinkier than I expected... mind if I record-"

It always managed to surprise me just how quickly she could move when she was feeling motivated. She was up and over the table before I could finish the sentence, daintily clawed hands going for my throat as her chair ricocheted off the wall behind her.

I kicked myself back on reflex just as she got to me, and both of us tumbled backwards. Landing on top of my chair, with a snarling Voya on top of me, was less than pleasant, something that only grew as I got an arm up to block her attempt to choke me out. There was a curse as she seized my wrist rather than my throat, wrenched it out of the way, then yelped as I bucked my hips and threw her to one side.

Of course she kept her grip on my arm and hauled me along with her, leaving me sprawled across her chest. My attempt to get up and pull back saw a knee slam into my side, to which I retaliated with a quick punch with my free arm into her ribs, then went for her hair. The howl of pain as I yanked as hard as I could was more than slightly loud, and her flailing abruptly increased tenfold. I shifted position trying to keep her pinned, then realized my fuck-up when she managed to get a leg between us and a foot planted in my gut.

Pain exploded from my abdomen as she used her greatest natural strength to throw me back, my body bouncing and rolling twice along the dining room floor. I transferred the momentum and ended up on my feet, getting a good look as Voya, her mane of white hair wild and hanging over her features.

A glance at Cieran showed the asshole lighting his pipe and ignoring the fight entirely.

"A little help!?" I demanded, flaring my biotics and flash-stepping into the living room when Voya came at me again.

Cieran snorted loudly enough for me to hear it, "I'm not _that_ insane."

Meaning that she had him entirely cowed, and that I was on my own when it came to calming her down. "I was just teasing!"

"So is she." He replied almost mildly as his girlfriend rose from her crouch and began to stalk towards me, "You can tell since she doesn't have her knives out."

I groaned, rolled my eyes, then took a step forwards and flashed directly at Voya, keeping my biotic power to a minimum. She stumbled at the bow shock, then collapsed as I wrapped her up in a tackle and bore her back down to the ground. I managed to keep her pinned for about twenty frantic seconds before she managed to writhe her way around and flip our position, a hair covered forearm choking me as she grinned wildly.

Then there was a shriek that I could feel in my bones as a broad blue hand grabbed her by her mane and hauled her off of me.

"Athame's bloody azure." Illyan sighed as she shifted, her titanic arms easily holding Voya clear form the ground. "Probably a good thing I showed up early... Do I even want to know what set this off?"

"Shy made a comment about our sex life." Cieran provided, puffing out a cloud of _chehala._ "Voya felt like smacking her around a bit in reply."

"You started it!" I growled, tugging my shirt back into place and coughing sharply to clear my throat.

He blinked, took a draw from his pipe, then offered, "Did I?"

"Oh I hate you sometimes." I muttered as I heaved myself upright, Illyan setting Voya down as she grudgingly indicated that she wasn't going to fly at me or hit the maiden who had yanked her around.

"This is coming from the woman who offered commentary when Illyan and I went at it last week." Cieran replied bemusedly, "Not much room to talk."

I huffed a little, but grinned a bit at the reminder of last week's little fight. Seeing Cieran and Illyan fight was always a good show, his skill against her strength and size, and Voya and I had amused ourselves by offering bets and inciting the two as much as we could.

"Ah." I grimaced as the grin tugged at my face, reaching up to feel my cheek and finding a tiny bit of blood. "Seriously? You had to claw me?"

Voya scoffed as she returned to her chair, righting it with a quick motion, "It'll heal in about five minutes and you know it."

Since that was true, I could only scowl and mutter ineffectually before wandering over to fix my own seat and fall into it. Illyan rolled her eyes at the entire thing before taking the final chair, the four of us relaxing in the company we had come to prize the most. At a motion from Cieran's left hand, Voya tugged a small box out of her pants and tapped it on the table, sending a deck of cards spilling out, her breathing already slowing and returning to calmer patterns.

We never really went at each other seriously.

"Strategy conference is now in session." Illyan smiled as she took them and began to shuffle, "What's the game this week? Been a while since we played High Clans."

"Works for me." I replied, "Cie? Voya?"

The pair nodded, and in due course everyone had six cards in front of them. My opening selection was rather strong, two Justicars plus a Blade Mistress, though the diplomat and two war-frigates did nothing for me. I threw them away and got a trio of pilgrims in the next round, from two different clans... a middling hand, could have been far worse.

"Fifty." I opened the betting. "Illyan? How did the training go?"

"Match, double raise." She replied, "Chek ran them through a few assault drills against his team. They did well enough we let them spend some time tinkering around with their equipment once those were done."

Voya made a noise of approval, "Match, and good. Make sure they can all field-repair their crap, and know enough to keep supplies with."

"Agreed." Cieran pushed his cards away, "Out."

"Out." I sighed in agreement, tossing my own into the center. Illyan elected to raise again, Voya matching, before the two compared hands. The Quarian's face quickly pulled into a scowl when she saw three Matriarchs from the same clan, tossing her own war-fleet aside. Not a bad hand, just not good enough.

Illyan collected her winnings after Voya and I grudgingly pulled out credit chits, then shuffled the deck once more before throwing out the next round.

We went through another four rounds, won by Illyan, Cieran, Cieran, and then me respectively, before we were interrupted by a polite knock at the door. After an exchange of frowns, Illyan was silently elected to see who the fuck was bothering us by dint of being closest to the door, and she checked the tiny security cam next to it before reporting back.

"Erana... and Shepard." She frowned as she glanced back, "Boss?"

Cie narrowed his eyes, his lips moving a little as he took a few quick pulls from his pipe, white smoke curling from his nose. "Let them in."

Illyan blinked, then shrugged and tapped the appropriate button. The door slid open to reveal the duo in question, Erana looking both nervous and apologetic, while Shepard had set her features into rigid immobility.

"I'm sorry sir." The young maiden bowed the moment she stepped inside, "But there is a transmission from Miss Trena on the priority channel."

He grunted, then glanced at Shepard. "You have a crisis too?"

The Spectre shook her head slightly, staying at the door. "I wanted to talk with you about equipping Bourdin, we were going to work her and Grunt through a few runs since the rooms are open."

Cieran shook his head and pushed himself to his feet, "Shyeel can help you."

I fought the urge to glare at him as he stepped away from the table, following Erana towards his office without another comment. It was really annoying because I couldn't complain, it was past due for me to take a turn handling our guests. I'd managed to avoid the onerous duty in the past mostly by finding appropriate excuses and looking as busy as possible with whatever it was that I was doing, or at least pretending to do.

Huffing, I returned my attention to Shepard, "What does she need? You have access to the armory."

"The password changed," Shepard replied simply.

Oh, right. "Yeah I can get you in."

She nodded in thanks as I stood up, walking with her back out into the hallway that lead past the closed door to my and Illyan's suite, depositing us in the main lounge where Bourdin was standing near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at the traffic within the station's core.

"Kara?" Shepard called, pitching her voice to something almost gentle. "We've got our way in."

"Oh, good." The other woman, her voice a slightly higher pitched copy of the Spectre's, turned. Dark blue eyes blinked and then frowned at me, her head tilting a little to one side. "You're... Shyeel T'Voth, right?"

I frowned back at her in turn, "Yes... you see me on an ad or something?"

"No," She grimaced, "Implanted information about Cerberus' enemies. You're an assassin by trade but did Hierarchy-style boot camp when you were a maiden. Left their foreign legions, spent a few centuries in the Hegemony as a hit-man for one of the big Houses, and joined up with the Blades when the Fist of Khar'shan elements of the SIU started hunting down alien _Harath_ and _Reyja_ as part of some idiotic purity movement _."_

"Yeah." And hadn't those been some fun times? Nothing like having a burning slab of iron shoved against your face to make it clear you weren't welcome in your home anymore. Then again, I had poisoned the son of a bitch who'd done it, and drank wine while he vomited blood and convulsed, so I supposed I'd gotten my own back. "That would be me, come on, armory is right over here."

There was a slight nod as she moved towards us, dutifully following as we moved into another hall and stopped at the first door.

Shepard spoke up again as I was tapping out the passcode, doing so slowly and openly so that they could see what it was. "You don't like talking about yourself, do you?"

I blinked, my finger just about to hit the last button, and turned to frown at her as I finished the motion, "What?"

The Spectre shrugged, "Chi would have gotten annoyed at someone knowing so much about her, and I think Kean would have corrected things just to make his position clear. You just blew it off and moved on."

"I'm five centuries older than either of them." I replied, stepping into the gun-filled room. "Why the interest anyway?"

She pursed her lips as she followed me in, Bourdin following in turn, "I like to know who I'm working with."

"And who _are_ you working with?" I asked, then followed it up with, "Bourdin, you want the same weapons as Shepard here?"

"I'd rather have a shotgun than a pistol." Came the reply, "Otherwise yes."

I grunted, frowned in thought, then started moving around to collect the appropriate gear. While I did that, Shepard took a few breaths to school her thoughts together before replying, "Lawson is... a patriot, in her own way. I can respect that and work with her, so long as she keeps her more extreme ideals in check."

The implication was obvious, "You don't respect Cieran in the same way then."

There was a heavy exhalation, and I saw her step back and lean against a workbench while I rummaged around the shotguns, trying to find the upgraded Scimatar that Illyan had been messing with last month.

"He doesn't exactly make it easy to get along with him." Her arms crossed beneath her breasts as she spoke, "Or make his long-term goals clear. That concerns me, as does the fact that he surrounds himself with..."

"Assassins?" I provided, a little amused at her obvious effort to not be as blunt as Cie, "Murderers? Rapists? People you wouldn't ever trust to watch your back?"

"Yes." Came a quiet reply.

I snorted as I found the weapon, inspecting it before passing it to Bourdin and watching a she checked it over in turn. "And I'm guessing the fact that he does things, like wake this girl up without asking you about it, doesn't help either."

A muscle in Shepard's cheek twitched. "He's an asshole."

"He doesn't mean anything by it." I rolled a shoulder and headed deeper into the room, moving straight for the neat rifle displays and the Phaestons there. "It's just his way... and Athame, you wouldn't believe how refreshing it is to deal with someone who means _exactly_ what they say out here."

Bourdin let out a quiet sound of amusement, "That's why you've stayed with them?"

"Nope." I replied, "But you aren't getting my life story unless our clothes are on the floor and you've screamed my name at least twice."

The young Human blinked, and then her cheeks began to rapidly redden. "I... _what_?"

Shepard groaned, "Just ignore her."

"Don't be such a prude." I replied bemusedly, more than happy to have changed the subject. "Athame's ass, you and T'Soni could have had a few dozen volunteers if you wanted to change things up a bit. And what about you? See anyone yet?"

Bourdin's mouth worked a few times, and she didn't even notice when I selected a rifle and held it out for her. "I've been... _awake_ for less than a week."

I cocked my head a little, "So?"

"So I've had more important things to focus on that _sex."_ She growled, sounding far more like Shepard with the bit of anger thrown into her waters, and she snapped a hand out to take the weapon. "And I like _Human Men,_ of which there are very few around here. None at all without those ridiculous hair styles."

"Hm. True," I allowed, "Could always go Batarian, not a fan myself but the muscles are supposed to be something."

There was a long stare before she let out a very annoyed little huff, "Could you please just get me a knife and a combat omni-tool so I can go punch something?"

Smirking in amusement, I waved for her to follow and quickly found the remaining pieces of equipment that she wanted. We didn't have anymore of the blades that Voya had given Shepard, so she ended up selecting a wavy-bladed Drell short sword rather than a dagger or knife. Evidently she preferred to be up close and personal a bit more than the Spectre, something her assault-oriented grenade selection also confirmed.

Bourdin stalked out almost the second we'd found everything, though Shepard lingered while I made a futile effort to tidy things up a bit.

"You're more subtle about getting rid of us than the others usually are." She offered, standing in the open doorway. "And less insulting about it... I suppose I should thank you."

I shrugged, "Considering how much crap we've been through, sometimes I'm amazed we're as well adjusted as we are."

Shepard frowned, then shook her head. "Everyone goes through bad times. My childhood was... less than ideal, and I still moved past it. Became something better."

I considered taking insult at the notion that anywhere on Earth could be as bad some of the places out here, then realized I couldn't exactly compare the two. I'd never been there, after all, and to a child or maiden even petty hurts would be magnified. Further, there was... an almost genuine puzzlement in her voice, her stance. She was trying to reconcile her views on how things should be with how things _were_ , especially out in the Terminus.

Something she'd obviously been struggling with since the moment she arrived here.

"I don't like acting the part of some Thessian wisdom-dispensing bitch," I sighed, "But you're still looking at things through the lens of a Council citizen. You lived in a society that didn't just _allow_ you to become something better than whatever you were, it _demanded_ it and held threats like fines and prison time over your head if you didn't shape up."

Shepard's frowned deepened, "Cynical, but I suppose that isn't an inaccurate way to frame it."

I nodded, then waved a hand to indicate the station around us, "Out here? There's not government agencies to help kids, no well-meaning idiots to 'guide' you to a better path, no societal pressure holding everyone to some kind of ideal. It's evolution at its most violent, where victory lies in surviving another day."

"I know that." She replied, shaking her head almost tiredly. "I just... don't understand how people can put up with it."

"Some people don't." I sighed, "But I'm not nearly drunk enough to go into all of _those_ arguments right now. Look, if it'll help you understand how crap works, _why_ it works, I'll sit with you at dinner or something but you're buying the booze."

Shepard blinked, then lifted an eyebrow, "Don't you drink for free?"

"Obviously." I snorted softly, "But I want to get paid somehow and it's not like I can ask for sex, T'Soni would kill me. Now run along, I've got a card... ah, a strategy meeting to get back to."

There was a very long sigh as she turned, and I heard her mutter to herself as she left, "I knew it."

* * *

 ** _ **Spectre Report, tagged for relay by courier**_**

 ** _ **Status: Delivered**_**

 _Councilor Tevos,_

 _The build up of fleet assets seems to have stabilized. Currently my contacts can reliably estimate that eighty-percent of Die Waffe and Aria's fleets are preparing to move towards the Perseus Veil in support of the Quarian effort to reclaim Rannoch. The Eclipse and Xenthan Empire have dedicated two dreadnoughts apiece plus attendant battle-groups, and I believe that the new Rim Collective's entire fleet will be participating as well._

 _Assets from the smaller warlords are more difficult to track, as usual. My best guess is that as many as fifty are to be involved, likely supporting the heavy fleets as screening or scouting forces. As always it is difficult to ascertain what Aria's final goal actually is, but the subordination of the Migrant Fleet and the destruction of the Geth as a threat from the galactic edge appear to be clear objectives._

 _I hardly need to lecture the Councilor on the threat that these shifts could pose to the Citadel and the Republics._

 _Will continue to dispatch reports so long as my cover holds._

 _Spectre Alea B'Mor_

 ** _ **\- Warning – File unsecured – Encryption broken -**_**

 ** _ **\- Manual Entry Enabled**_**

 _I gave the bitch a clean death. The next one we catch won't be so lucky._

 _~ With the utmost love, Jona_

* * *

 ** _ **Next up is Interlude VI: Policies & Politics**_**

 ** _And we get a little view into the old Einherjar crew, with Shyeel doing her thing in caring for and helping the others even if they aren't quite aware of what she's up to. The post-chapter message is a bit of an intro into the next interlude, where we'll be traveling to the other major space station in the galaxy._**

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	20. Interlude VI: Policies and Politics

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude VI: Policies and Politics**

* * *

 _ **Olympic Business**_

 _(Jack Harper)_

 **Date:** 10-01-2186

 **Location:** Blue Hill, Saint Helena, Earth, Sol System

* * *

I took a slow drag from my cigarette, exhaling the smoke as I watched the dark waters of the Atlantic wash against the rocks far below my mansion's patio. Behind me, the soft scratching of a two century old record player filled the mansion with the genius of Beethoven, the strings soothing me as they had the lord and ladies of Vienna in an age long past.

A more impressionable man could probably create some kind of metaphor from the natural view, wasting time on amateur philosophy rather than simply enjoying the luxury for what it was... and luxuries were important.

Especially in times like these.

"Reporting as ordered sir." The feminine contralto carried into the expansive room, five minutes ahead of schedule.

"Come, Doctor." I motioned with my free hand towards the chair beside me, "Sit. Drink?"

"No sir, thank you." Footsteps preceded the arrival of Doctor Brynn Cole, the dark skinned scientist looking exquisite in the rich gray business suit. She carried it easily, confidently, as she should given her long cover as the lead researcher in Cord-Hislop's communications division. "I would not say no to a cigarette though."

I smiled a little around my own, wordlessly picking one out of the pack and offering it to her. She took it as she sat, pulling her own lighter out rather than asking to use my own, inhaling with every sign of pleasure... perhaps more than even the pleasant vice should have allowed.

"Calm yourself, Doctor." I offered, "I would not have invited you to sit beside me if I had motivations other than mere conversation."

"Evidently knowing something intellectually doesn't help." She replied quietly, "Why did you wish to talk to me separate from the other cell leads?"

Exhaling another cloud of smoke, I reached to my side and wrapped my fingers around the small glass there, bringing the whiskey to my lips. The burn was smooth and entirely pleasant, and I took a second sip before setting the drink aside.

"I wish to know," I spoke slowly, as if I was choosing my words carefully rather than repeating a question I had already asked others, "What you think about the manifesto released by Miss Lawson."

There was a slight shake to her hand when she took a long drag, the intelligent woman having little issues understanding that her response would affect far more than merely the direction of this conversation.

"I believe..." She began, pausing between each word, "That she made valid points."

I lifted an eyebrow and considered the woman in a slightly new light. Some of the others I had interrogated had, as I had expected, railed against Miranda's 'weakness' and begged me to dispatch Kai Leng to kill her. Others had been more cautious, indicating that while they could understand Miranda's goals in the abstract, they felt that the weakness she was displaying in the short term ruined the message.

None had quite been so obviously sympathetic to her argument however.

"Explain." I requested.

Cole exhaled a stream of smoke, "After you opened Darwin and Prometheus' cells files for me, I spent a lot of time going through them as well as looking at the images that accompanied the manifesto. A lot of what they were doing... I don't see how it advanced humanity practically. So much of it just struck me as excuses to kill aliens in new and horrific ways, chasing unrealistic dreams and goals."

I considered that response, then turned my attention back to the rolling ocean far below. "If you believe such, why not leave with her?"

The scientist sighed, "Because I joined Cerberus to protect Earth, to make sure it could be strong and independent, and I don't see how siding with a bunch of Terminus maniacs does that either. If Miranda thinks she can manipulate them in the short term and then split peacefully later... she's even more arrogant than I thought. Once you're entangled with them there isn't any backing out. Not alive, anyway."

Interesting. Not a unique perspective, perhaps, but not wholly stupid one either.

From what my reports and informants indicated, Cole was merely stating the opinion of the majority of the senior and junior operatives who had been assigned to Earth and other critical Alliance worlds. They were disgusted with the images that had accompanied Miranda's manifesto, of Asari maidens vivisected alive during indoctrination tests, of starved Turians waiting in line for death, of Batarian exiles tortured to death for no scientific purpose.

Some semblance of parental pride rose up in my chest once again as I admired the manipulation. It must have been a last minute change to the message, once she realized that she could not simply strike once and eliminate me along with Oleg, Henry, and young Brooks. Knowing that the true Cerberus would survive, she had planted the seeds of discontent even as she burned as much of her old home as she could.

She might not have succeeded in eliminating me, but she intended to force me to change all the same, to make my Cerberus much like her own.

And I had little choice but to allow such things. Her actions had gutted the organization to an unprecedented degree. Within a four month span sixty percent of our operatives had been killed, and a third of the remainder had defected along with her. Ajax Cell, and our only real military force, had been summarily destroyed, and the majority of the true hard-liners had died when Prometheus, Horus, and Darwin cells had been ripped apart.

"If you were to set a long term goal for Cerberus,'" I continued with the questioning, "What do you see our purpose as?"

"The protectors of humanity." She replied promptly, "Against alien economic attacks, black-ops situations, and cultural trends where possible. To ensure human governance and supremacy within our own borders."

"And if such protection required hard measures?"

Her shoulders set, "Then I'd do what has to be done, but only if that was really the only option. If there is a less... bloody solution to a problem, I think we should use it whenever possible."

I took a slow drag from my cigarette. "For moral reasons?"

"Partly, but also practically." The doctor's hands had steadied, and she had seemed to gain in confidence. As though determining that, since she had come this far, she might as well continue. "The more severe our behavior, the more likely that we'll draw reprisals down onto the Alliance and humanity in general. Without EDI and EVA we are more likely than ever to have our network infiltrated, so I think caution is warranted."

Again, a perfectly reasonable, if somewhat conservative opinion... though there was ample evidence within recent history to indicate that a degree of conservatism was due. But when it came to the survival of humanity... sometimes one had to gamble, even when it was potentially unwise to do so.

That did not, however, mean that one _should_ put all of his chips on the table simply because he _could_.

"I am going to be pulling you out of your position at Cord-Hislop." I informed her simply, "Officially you will be retiring in order to make way for Doctor Hallen's promotion in a case of petty office politics. Once your extraction is complete, you will be charged with the organization of Project Nestor and tasked with oversight on all research and development projects."

Doctor Cole opened her mouth and then closed it an unseemly display of shock, "Sir?"

"Your initial priority," I continued, "Should be to continue the efforts in communications equipment that you have already begun, as well as restarting the weapons and armor research begun by Isis Cell. The survivors of which will be folded into your new organization. You will report directly to me on a weekly basis."

Oleg had been right, in his final days. I had allowed Cerberus to grow too much, in my hubris believing that I could still maintain total control as it expanded apace. That had led me to rely far too heavily on the technology provided by our shackled AI's, too heavily on project leads whose motivations could become opaque as they obsessed over meaningless results rather than maintaining the big picture.

"Will all communications still go through you sir?" She recovered quickly enough, I would give her that much.

"No, you will have direct contact with the other Cell leads." I paused noticeably, "Suffice to say that allowing yourself to be captured will not be an option."

Dark skin worked as she swallowed, "I understand sir, I'll have the doctors confirm that the flash-bang is still functional."

"Good." I flicked ash into the tray beside my empty drink, took a final drag, then flicked the remains into the tray as well before rising to my feet. "Jana, send in the others. Doctor, please retire to the conference table with us."

Cole rose, keeping her own cigarette as she followed me towards the patio's centerpiece, a grand ebony wood table with four velvet padded chairs spaced evenly about it. It was upraised slightly from the remainder of the room, ensuring that everyone seated there would be able to survey the down-sloping hills outside and the crashing waves beyond.

My beautiful secretary entered first, her business skirt flowing around her legs as she strode into the room, a tray filled with drinks balanced upon a single hand. She placed them before each chair in quick, brisk motions before retreating as silently as she had come, departing just as the other new project leads entered.

Operative Randall Ezno, the leader of Argus cell, a broadly built Caucasian man in who sat into his chair with every sign that he did not appreciate the luxury for what it was. He contrived to make his blue suit look ill-fitting despite the perfect tailoring, and was clearly ill at ease outside of his armor. The same could not be said of Operative Date Toshiro, the old Japanese businessman looking utterly content as he relaxed into the comfort of his own chair, a small smile on his lips as he sipped from the warm sake that had been prepared for him.

Brynn Cole settled at the far end, leaving the other men between herself and I, and took an experimental sip from her wine. She blinked once, took a second, longer sip, and then seemed to relax almost immediately.

Taking my own place at the end of the table, I allowed myself to savor the whiskey within my own glass before setting it aside. "Normally an event such as the re-purposing of our entire organization would occur with more ceremony, but given the situation we find ourselves in I believe that brevity is warranted. You all have been selected to lead our new projects for both your technical skills as well as your understanding of the reality that we now face."

Ezno reached for his glass, throwing the bourbon back before exhaling. "I take it that the last is why I am here, rather than Ashe."

"Colonel Ashe could not change with the times." I shook my head simply, "He would not have been able to adjust his viewpoint appropriately, and we would have done neither himself nor ourselves any favors by coddling him."

There was a wince from Cole as she registered the past tense, and she quickly took another long sip of wine.

"I do not believe," Date murmured, his accent just light enough to be exotic, "That you summoned us here merely to discuss the dead weight that you had Kai Leng and his _shinobi_ remove these past months."

I dipped my head, then paused deliberately once more before taking another pull from my whiskey. "You all know who I am, what I stand for, what I believe that Cerberus should be. Miranda's actions, though misguided... have opened my eyes somewhat to the excesses that I had begun to allow in the name of ambition."

"To that end," A third sip punctuated my words, "We are consolidating our operations and our focus. Our attempts to cover every eventuality, to combat the opponents of humanity across the entire galaxy, left us spread out, vulnerable, and all too quick to undertake operations of dubious purpose simply in the hope of seizing the smallest scrap of advantage."

"Ah." Date sighed, almost contentedly. "You are bringing us home."

I smiled at him and lifted my glass in a salute that he returned with his sake bowl, "In my eagerness to take the fight to the enemy these past few years, I have neglected the home front. That ceases today. All operations, all projects, will now move with a single focus; to strengthen the Systems Alliance in preparation for the war that is coming. Any and all other concerns must be pushed aside until our survival and success against the Reapers is assured."

The reaction to my words were as I had anticipated. Cole looked almost fervently relieved, Date appeared to my quietly satisfied, and Ezno... largely uncaring.

From there, the discussion proceeded apace as I instructed them in their tasks. As my personal attentions would be required elsewhere, Date would be taking over the old Imperium cell and those loyal remnants of Carthage, merging them into Project Tietrus with the purpose of providing the funding for our other endeavors. His secondary, though equally vital, task would be to identify areas of alien economic sabotage and to mitigate and counter such infiltration.

Cole, as I had informed her, would be pulling assets from our various shell corporations and the remains of Isis cell into Project Nestor. She and her people would be given access to all of the R&D research flowing out of said corporations, advanced technologies stolen from alien nations, or simply purchased on the black market. From there she and her teams would be tasked with advancing human technology, with a specific focus on military technology in the short-term.

Randall Ezno, much to his displeasure, would be commanding Project Argus. Combining most of the combat assets we had left along with our insiders within the Alliance military, they would have two principle tasks. The first, and probably the simplest, would be to assist the AIS in direct counter-moves should agencies like the STG and Nightwind attempt covert actions within Alliance space. The second was to supervise the military itself, particularly those officers with Asari wives, and to quietly excise any whose loyalty was not entirely to their own species.

"I expect all of you to work closely with one another in the months to come." I informed them once the delineation of tasks was clear. "I will be heavily involved with our fourth cell, and will not have the capability to micro-manage your interactions."

Which was largely true, though I trusted they would all understand that I would maintain a few agents in critical positions to ensure things remained on track.

"And what," Ezno rumbled, "Is that project going to be boss?"

I gave him a cool smile, "Project Gracchi has suffered from too little attention and funding in the past few years. I intend to personally ensure that trend does not continue."

"Gracchi?" Date frowned, "The political support structure for Terra Firma? I suppose it could use some work since that fool Saracino went off the reservation."

"The situation is not unrecoverable." I shrugged mildly, "The losses in last year's election can easily be recouped with the proper message and candidates, especially with the recent events working to increase tensions between the Citadel and the Terminus systems. The conservative tendency to bow to Council dictata will hardly endear them to the populace, and at this point Udina has been sidelined."

Ezno's unpleasant face twisted further, "We need to increase security in the embassy. Udina may have his strengths, but the ability to control information and choose staff members who understand the importance of keeping their mouths shut is not among them. It would not surprise me if even the Batarians had agents there."

"They do." I informed him shortly, allowing my own displeasure to show through. "There is at least one freelance Asari operative on station who we believe is passing information to both the new Hegemon as well as to Aria."

"Collecting said information by seducing interns, I suspect." Date sighed. "Young men and women will be young men and women."

"That is no excuse." Ezno rumbled in reply, "Not for handing away governmental secrets. Udina's chief of staff must be replaced, immediately if possible. The councilor himself if we can manage it."

"I believe that we can." I nodded, pleased that he had made the point before I had to work my way towards it. "It will be difficult given the time constraints imposed upon us by both the Reapers and the electoral process, but doable with the proper focus."

Cole frowned, "If I may ask sir, who would we even replace him with? You need a two thirds majority in order to appoint a new Councilor, and no one in Terra Firma will ever get that level of support."

"Patience, good Doctor." I replied with a smile, "Patience. You will see soon enough."

* * *

 _ **Branded Survivor**_

 _(Shyeel T'Voth)_

 **Date:** 10-01-2186

 **Location:** Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System

* * *

I rubbed tiredly at my crest, wondering just who I had pissed off to have this happen to me. That wondering lasted for all of five seconds before the number of names got too long to bother with, and I shoved them aside in favor of being irrationally irritable.

"I'm pretty sure that punctuality is appreciated wherever you are in the galaxy." I groused as Shepard finally showed her ass up, collapsing into the booth across from me. "So is not bringing along uninvited guests."

Said guests, Shepard's copy and pet Krogan respectively, gave me looks that would have probably threatened a younger and less annoyed me. In return they received mild glares and curious frowns from the packed bar's patrons, largely a mixture of locals and Blades soldiers. Thankfully our location inside Cieran's headquarters insured that this particular restaurant was safe from being visited by our Xenthan guests.

"I thought it would be good for them to come with." The Spectre replied, moving over enough for Bourdin to sit beside her, while the Krogan... newborn, teenager, whatever he was, simply seized a nearby chair and dragged it over. "If you hadn't insisted on it happening today, I would have liked for Liara and Miranda to be present as well."

I snorted, "Lawson has that red haired psychologist who seems to know her shit, and your bondmate has lived out here, she should know all of this already."

Shepard exhaled softly "Considering how active Aethyta has kept her?"

The wince was almost a reflex... I'd rather forgotten that. It was entirely probable that the maiden hadn't ever actually _lived_ out here despite residing in the Terminus for nearly two years. Athame's azure, considering how over-protective Cieran and Trena had indicated that the old bitch could be, she'd probably done as much as he could to shelter the girl from day to day life in the Terminus as much as she could.

Clearing my throat to get past the moment, I decided to get on with it, "All right, I don't really know what you what out of this, so you might as well start asking crap."

The Spectre held a hand up as a young maiden dressed as a waitress approached. She pointedly asked me for my order first, then, probably assuming him to be a new recruit, moved on to Grunt. Only after she blinked and then tapped out his order for a pitcher of ryncol did she sullenly ask the two Human females for their order.

"Originally," Shepard spoke once the maiden had departed, "I was going to ask all kinds of societal questions, but having had a few days to think about it, I'm not sure they're relevant."

I cocked my head a little and leaned back into the cushion behind me, "What is relevant then?"

"Understanding." She replied promptly, " _Why_ Kean acts the way he does, why the Warlords act the way they do, and what reference I can use to predict what they'll do in the future."

My lips pursed as I exhaled, drumming the fingers of one hand onto the table. That was a far more practical desire than wanting some kind of lecture on society, but it was correspondingly more dangerous. Just because Shepard was an ally right now didn't mean that she would be an ally in the future, and teaching enemies to understand you was never smart.

Then again, Shepard and her Alliance were hardly a threat compared to the big three Council nations. And I was sick and tired of seeing her trying to work her way around issues that she didn't seem to understand.

"They're easy to understand, you just have to get out of your civilized little box." I shook my head, "Think like a pirate."

All three of them blinked, then Grunt let out a low rumble. "Like a coward, you mean."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Being survival oriented and being a coward aren't the same thing."

He grumbled at that, clearly not agreeing, but didn't say anything further.

For her part, Shepard frowned thoughtfully, drumming the nails of one finger on the table as she considered it. "Successful piracy is all about controlled risk. The good ones aren't the boldest or the most vicious, they're the patient ones who don't let you predict when or where they'll attack."

"Exactly." I stabbed a finger at her, "Now blow that up to its extreme. Apply it to a big titted warlord like Sederis or Aria."

That drew eye rolls from both Human females and a confused expression from the Krogan that morphed into an entirely too creepy chuckle... which ended when Bourdin gave him an arch look. Evidently the copy had already achieved some kind of relationship with him because he shut up instantly, and actually seemed to straighten up a little bit.

Huh. Interesting.

"You're saying," Bourdin spoke once she was sure she wouldn't be interrupted, "That people like them aren't really focused on expanding their power so much as they are focused on survival."

"That's exactly what I'm telling you." I nodded, "You council types always act like Aria or Cieran or T'Ravt set out on this grand bloody plan to become a great warlord and etch their names in the goddess-damned history books... but, for the most part, not many of them actually thought about their rise to power like that. Tell me how many major Incursions that the Terminus has started in the last century?"

Shepard pursed her lips. "None."

"Why?" I prompted.

There was an exceedingly deep snort, then Grunt rumbled. "Because they are conservative, cowards, they do not take risks. They are not proper Warlords."

"Considering," Bourdin offered quietly, "That both of the major Krogan Warlords are dead, I think they have a point Grunt."

Bright blue eyes blinked, and damn me if the tank bred didn't cock his head as he visibly contemplated that. After a few moments he corrected himself, "They are... practical cowards."

I couldn't help but snort. "That might as well be the catch phrase for all of them. Like that little shit Die Waffe; for all his boasting and tough talk, that cretin has never actually taken his big ships out into the Traverse to fight your Alliance or even threaten yours shipping. Athame's azure, the only real big Incursion in Aria's reign wasn't even a _real_ Incursion. More like a pissing contest between Aria and Thessia."

Shepard actually snorted as well, "Christ, there's an image. Suppose I buy that, you can't tell me that they're all that intelligent."

"They aren't." I agreed with a sigh, then fell silent as the waitress returned with three drinks and a giant pitcher of alcohol, placing them all in front of us before retreating without a word. While the Krogan sampled his drink with every sign of pleasure and far too many gratuitous slurping sounds, I took a single sip from my wine before continuing.

"You get plenty of people who _are_ bold, or in it for the glory, or for treasure and riches, or have some kind of other goal. Ganar and Sederis are examples of those types." I narrowed my eyes a little as I remembered older days. "He wanted a new Krogan empire at any cost. She, when she's stable, wants revenge on the Republics. You get Terminus Wars when the two types run into each other at the high levels."

Again, both of the humans frowned, while the Krogan nodded sharply. "One war per century on the average."

"Yeah." I sighed, more bitter memories washing over me, all the reasons I'd gotten the fuck out and gone to the Hegemony. I'd still had to go back on occasion, but at least I hadn't had to suffer through _every_ hurricane _._ "The fall of the Trinity, the Free State and Ganar's Empire with their Five Decades, the chaos when Aria broke Patriarch and his empire went up for grabs..."

Shepard took a long pull from the whiskey and soda that she had ordered, shaking her head a little at the taste. "Who is which type?"

"Aria and T'Ravt are survivalists, I just told you Sederis." I replied, "Die Waffe and Shinvec are Aria's puppets, so count them as survivalists so long as she's there to hold their leashes."

There was a slow nod as she contemplated that, then her flecked eyes narrowed. "You're saying that I can predict that Aria and T'Ravt, plus those other two, because they want to maintain the _status quo_. Anything else is something that risks them losing their power, their lives."

I nodded, "Yeah. Like I said, they're easy. Just figure out the path most likely to keep their asses in power and you've got a good idea as to what they'll do. If you want them to take risks you have to threaten their lives, their power and independence, or find something to scare them half out of their minds."

Bourdin took a sip from her wine, contemplating it for a few moments, "Like finding a horde of dead Reapers at Ilos."

"Like finding a horde of dead Reapers at Ilos." I agreed. "Or the Council trying to seed Krogan colonies near the borders, or the Quarians trying to take a cluster, or the Salarians trying to colonize the near Traverse."

From there, the conversation shifted quickly towards the reactionary nature of most of the warlords, and the Terminus in general. The endless whirlpool that devoured itself even as it renewed itself, the self-cannibalization that had done more than any act by the Citadel to keep the various Warlords and pirates in check.

Every few decades came a new crop of warlords, and with them came a new host of complicating factors and politics. Some were like Cieran, accumulating power as a means of self-protection, as a bargaining chip to ensure that they were too useful to their superiors to simply get rid of despite the threat they could pose. Others were more like Ayle, ambitious, with grand schemes and bold ideas that they would shed an ocean's worth of blood to achieve.

As the new waves grew in power, they necessarily began to take said power away from existing powers and agencies, who would then act against them. In most decades the fighting remained low key, almost unnoticed against the rough and tumble society they took place within, while the Greater Warlords poked and prodded them, ensuring their subordinates were too busy trying to drown one another to threaten them.

But once and a while, someone liked Jona Sederis or Ganar Yulaz gained some real measure of power... and then everything went straight to the deeps.

"If you're going to worry about anyone, worry about Sederis." I shook my head as we started in our second round of drinks. Well, we feminine beings did, Grunt had evidently been cut off after his one tub. "Not Aria, not T'Ravt, not Bauer. Those three won't act unless they feel threatened or pushed into it. Sederis... even when she's mostly sane she's... not quite all there."

"You think," Shepard asked seriously, "That she'll attack the Republics?"

"I don't know." I admitted, "She hates Thessia, and knowing that the Republics have been at least influenced by the Leviathans gave her plenty of ammunition to push for taking them on. I think pretty much everyone expects that we're going to have to fight them sooner or later, but everyone besides Sederis wants it to be later."

She seemed to consider that, settling back with her eyes distant. The pose set off all kinds of warnings in my head, and I let out a ragged exhalation. "Oh goddess, what did she do?"

Blue eyes peppered with orange closed almost tiredly, "According to an alert I got from Sparatus, she killed an Asari Spectre on Illium two days ago. The Council called a closed session, and Sparatus was the only one against authorizing the assembly of a war staff to consider retaliatory possibilities."

I just kind of stared at her, then picked up my half-full glass, and didn't put it down again until it was empty. Athame's azure... the timing could not have been worse, which was probably why the bitch had felt free to act. Aria was the only one who could even sort-of guide her, and she was entirely occupied making sure all her little subordinates were swimming in the right patterns.

Coughing a little as the last of the wine went down, I shook my head and gasped, "He give you orders?"

"Yeah." She grimaced, "He had the Council convinced to leave things be until the Geth had been dealt with, since everyone agreed they had to go, and if anyone was going to die fighting them it might as well be pirates."

Getting my breath back, I thought rapidly over that piece of information. "That logic still holds up."

"It does... until the Geth are gone." She shook her head, "If the Terminus comes out of this campaign looking weak or incompetent, the Council could find an excuse to at least go after Sederis openly. Even if a miracle happens and the Warlords come out looking strong, there's probably going to be a massive ramp up of cover actions, especially in the spinward region."

I sucked in air between my teeth, "You think they'd have the votes to declare war?"

Bourdin stirred, her voice quiet, "They just need one... if they turn Udina or Calyn they have a majority and can dispatch the Council fleet to support the Republics. The Matriarchs there have been stirring up prejudice against the Outcasts for the last couple of decades, and if the news that Sederis killed an Asari Spectre on what is technically still a Republic world goes public..."

Both of my hands rose to rub furiously at my face. "Athame's azure. The Assembly would actually vote for war, or at least some kind of militant reprisal. Maybe just to take Illium and the nearby colonies, plus haul in Sederis, but that would still brew up a bloody storm at a time where we don't need it."

"Which," Shepard looked sick to even be saying it, "Might be better than the alternative."

I blinked at her, then did so again when the wave didn't hit the beach. "What?"

"That kind of war would need a build up. Industry, fleets, armies." A hand waved at the bar around us, "Mercenaries. It would put everyone on a war footing right before we think the Reapers are supposed to show up. But if the Terminus looks too powerful to risk taking on directly without a lot of casualties, they're going to go to the old standby."

Bourdin nodded sourly, "STG and Nightwind operations, plus Spectre raids. Things you can't predict and things that Sparatus wouldn't have to be told about."

Assuming he would warn us to begin with, which I doubted. "We know that. There's measures already going up to try and catch assassins and saboteurs, figure the Council will want to cripple our repair and replenish operations during and after the campaign."

From his place at the end of the table, Grunt made a deep snorting sound. "Industrial targets, military leaders. Those won't be their targets. You already told us how to kill your Terminus. They kill your leaders, kill Aria, all of your kind that have true ambition will want her throne more than the want to fight these Reapers."

"And those of you smart enough to disagree," Shepard sighed again, "Will have to fight them to try and get them into line. Even if someone sane manages to come out on top it's going to take time, and result in losses, neither of which are things we can spare."

I grimaced, "Aria... isn't an easy bitch to take down."

"Challenges can be overcome," Bourdin provided, "If the payoff is big enough."

"I hate it when you people talk sense." I muttered, scooting my ass to the side and then rising as I slid out of the booth. "I've got to relay this to Cie, see if he can get something out of our operations on Illium."

Shepard nodded, "If he can have something before our meeting with Lawson next shift, that would be ideal."

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

 _ **Internal Log File 1994-633-057-BC5**_

 _Recorded conversation_

 _Ithiri Sederis: What the fuck do we do?_

 _Leska Sederis; What can we do? From a certain point of view her actions were not illogical, a military build up in advance of the Reapers is critical and the existing build ups are slow at best._

 _Ithiri Sederis: Like any of us give a fuck if those uptight whores can't build up their military fast enough. We don't even know when or where they're going to use it! Athame's bleeding azure, if those space squid are pulling them around giving them more weapons is a bad fucking thing._

 _Leska Sederis: You need to calm down. Emotional outbursts are not going to-_

 _Ithiri Sederis: Don't fucking tell me to-_

 _Aria T'Loak: Shut up, both of you._

 _...fifteen seconds of silence follow as lesser Asari obey the Queen._

 _Aria T'Loak: Elder, when can the Council attack Illium directly if they choose to?_

 _Myself: The Republic of Cula and the Republic of Thessia could dispatch their forces within one standard week. Odds of successes are merely forty-two percent against the Golden Armada and local defenses at Illium._

 _Aria T'Loak: When does the coin flip?_

 _Myself: Upon arrival of the primary Citadel Fleet and at least one other Republic force, estimated at three to four standard weeks. Combining the Eclipse Meshinvi and the Armada would not be sufficient to deter such a force._

 _Aria T'Loak: Send an alert to all of my agents on the Citadel to watch for ship movements._

 _Myself: Yes, my queen._

 _Aria T'Loak: Ithiri, what are your people on Thessia saying?_

 _Ithiri Seders: Things are still quiet, publicly anyway. I don't think the Matriarchs were expecting anything to happen, being their usual ancient selves to react._

 _Aria T'Loak: That gives us some time at least. Leska, prepare your flagship. We're going to be making a little trip._

* * *

 _ **Silver Blade Courier Dispatch**_

 _ **Sender** : Verified, Director Kean_

 _ **Recipient** : Verified, Commander T'Laria_

 _Scales, side with your father._

 _No, I don't like it either. Just do it._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude VII: Glistening Spires**_

 _And Cerberus is refocusing a little, Shepard gets some information, and the fallout of Jona being Jona starts. Next chapter will be the last Interlude before we launch into the next operation._

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_


	21. Interlude VII: Glistening Spires

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude VII: Glistening Spires**

* * *

 **Silver Blades Archived Recording**

 _ **Location** : Headquarters (Old) Conference Room 3_

 _ **Date** : 10-01-2186_

* * *

 _Kean; Yes. The timing is bloody terrible, I'm not denying that, but if you can see a better way to secure ourselves to the pair of them I don't see it._

 _Massa: Cieran, she is going to lose her Pillars-damned mind, and do I seriously need to remind you of our location?_

 _Kean; I know where we are Ayle, I also know she's not doing shit to support us when she obviously could be._

 _Massa; ...that may be, but she could be doing far less._

 _Kean; If she pulls our support then we get T'Ravt to shake a battle-group or two loose to support us at Horizon._

 _Massa; That... could be workable. Preferable even, since we wouldn't have to pay them._

 _Kean; Exactly._

 _Massa; That still leaves the core plan... if you can call it a plan._

 _Kean; It's workable. Risky, yeah, but workable._

 _Massa; It's a pillar of sand, Cieran. If any one thing goes wrong we're going to be at war with the Republics, or the entire Council, or Aria is going to have us all assassinated._

 _Kean; That last would have probably happened anyway._

 _Massa; Stop deflecting._

 _Kean; Fine. Look... we're not in a good position with Aria, and we probably never were going to be, but she at least knows about the Reapers and Leviathans. She won't act against us directly with that threat coming. Athame's ass, if anything this might actually make her get up and do shit for once._

 _Massa; Good._

 _Kean; ...what?_

 _Massa; Cieran, I am not an idiot. I understood all of that before we sat down, I merely wanted to be sure that you weren't doing this solely out of a desire for revenge against the Republics for what that old bitch did to you._

 _Kean; You really think I'd go that far?_

 _Massa; Yes. Do I need to recount our entire history together?_

 _Kean; ...fair point._

 _Massa; Still. Perhaps I should speak with Voya, she deserves to know what to expect when you have the Matriarch cornered. If you were excited enough to take me on the floor of-_

 _Kean; By the goddess just... no Ayle. Just no._

* * *

 **Scaled Perspective**

( _Trena T'Laria)_

 **Date:** 10-02-2186

 **Location:** Eclipse Command Center, Nos Irrail, Illium

* * *

I exhaled sharply, staring at the relic as it sat innocuously on the table in front of me. It... didn't look like much, but that was the fucking point. When you came from a family of mind-rapists and assassins, even the sword of the family Matriarch tended to be more practical than gaudy.

It had an open, grip-style handle wrapped in old, worn leathers that looked more than ready to fall right the fuck off. There was only one edge, the blade itself slightly narrow just beyond the hilt before flaring out once more, the gentle curve arching slightly downwards towards the edge. So long as you hit someone with it properly, the taper and the flared end would let even a short T'Laria bitch hit above her weight. Not that the monomolecular edge and warpfire heart needed much help in cutting through crap, but a bit of extra power was never a bad thing.

"Shit..." I muttered, carefully reaching out and wrapping gloved fingers around the grip. "You could have at least polished the fucking thing."

Musio T'Laria, Supervisor of the Evening Eclipse, sighed and crossed her arms, the motion making her dark, conservative dress shift a little around her. My old bitch of a cousin was starting to show her age, creases appearing around her mouth and eyes, but her vibrantly green eyes were as sharp as they'd always been.

"That would defeat the point and you well know it." She replied crossly, "Now stop stalling and turn the bloody thing on."

Growling to myself, I yanked the sword off the table and sent a rush of dark energy down my right arm. The sword responded instantly, almost eagerly, a far cry from the crap mass produced weapon I'd gotten used to using lately. Bright blue light promptly seared its way all along the edge, with thinner strands flickering to life in a web-like pattern across the dull metal. The colors rippled for a few heartbeats before I commanded it to still, letting the old thing glow steadily as we both stared at it.

"Well at least you've still got control." Musio grumbled, her eyes flicking left and right, as though ensuring I wasn't about to blow us both up with the bloody thing. "Even if you did forsake most of your ancestry in favor of following that Xenthan whore around."

My upper lip twitched as I let the flame die, the sword dimming back down to its bland self. "How has Leska not ripped your goddess-damned crest off yet?"

"Because I am not an infantile maiden who can't control her mouth." She replied promptly, "Now hurry up and get the thing on your belt before we're late."

I snorted. "Like any of them would give a fuck if _I_ was late, and we have plenty of time."

"Maybe," She allowed, "But I refuse to let your first official duty as House Matria fall apart because of your own fucking incompetence."

"You're still going to be down with Jona." I retaliated. "I'm going to be up with the other assholes who don't want to be here."

"To start with." Musio shook her head once. "She's going to want you to replace me."

Lips pulled back from my teeth as I grabbed the sword's sheath, "Everyone's got fucking dreams."

There was a low, irritated growl. "She allowed you get away with violating her codes once Trena, she's not going to let you do it again."

I resisted the urge to snarl back at her, restricting myself to, "I'm wearing _this_ uniform for a goddess-damned reason Musio. She knows I'm not coming back, and she's crazy, not fucking stupid. She won't push petty shit like this now. Maybe after the next war, but not fucking now."

My cousin's voice turned as dry as a Tuchanka desert. "Evidently the preparations for a galactic war are the perfect time for a grand political debacle, so I would not be so hopeful."

Clenching my free fist and muttering to myself about old whores with more tits than sense, I grabbed the sword and sheathed the fucking thing before getting to work. Shifting the coat a bit, I tossed the generic piece of crap I'd been using aside and quickly lashed the millennia old piece of crap into its place before checking myself out in a nearby mirror. Ghai had always thought I looked sexy as fuck in the coat... and the old metal and leather didn't look half-bad against the dark navy and silver.

Musio evidently agreed, at least once she'd knocked my hands away and straightened my collar and tugged the coat's heavy sleeves around bit. Then she'd stepped back to consider her work and nodded firmly, "You look like a pirate from an old vid."

I gave her a grin filled with teeth, "That hot?"

Musio rolled her eyes, "Good to see that your ego remains the size of the goddess' own. Come on."

"I know where we're fucking going." I replied, though I didn't make any move to walk ahead of her as we left the small suite we'd been given to prepare myself within. That was less from any idiotic desire to salve her pride, and more because the hallway was so bloody crowded I _couldn't_ get ahead of her even if I'd wanted to. Asari of every color, size, and description swam up and down stream, filling the air with the rolling tumult of conversation. And, while many were in Eclipse gold or yellow, most were wearing whatever matched their place of origin.

Black armor for those from Nular near Omega contrasted with the ornate green and white uniforms born by the Cathians, themselves clashing with skintight tan ensembles for the psychopaths from Heshen, Juriumian corporate whores wearing clear silks that accentuated rather than hid their breasts, and a dozen other combinations that started to hurt my damned eyes after a few minutes.

And the combinations of fucking perfume made the air toxic.

It took us a good ten minutes to elbow, shove, and otherwise roll our way through the crowd and reach the main meeting hall. There we found a broad open space defended by the sheer, intimidating aura emanating from the six Elder Sisters standing guard. All of them were in their formal, gaudy as fuck best, their entirely functional armor hidden behind ornate gold filigree done up in elaborate styles and images.

Here, I finally pushed in front of Musio, planting my hands on my hips... not so innocently near my pistol and blade. "Kani. Finally made elder I see."

"Gears." The purple skinned commando replied, not looking at all pleased to see me. "Heard you were still breathing. Guessing you want in?"

"I want to be at fucking home with a few bottles of wine and a naked bondmate making me scream." I countered, "But apparently I'm _supposed_ to be in this overdone brothel."

Kani sighed, "You haven't bloody changed at all... why the fuck are you even here? Thought that long furred Human ran your little corporation. He couldn't be bothered to show?"

"He's got other shit to handle." I replied shortly. "Open the fucking door before shit starts without me."

Her lips pressed into a thin line in displeasure, but she twitched her chin and made a motion with her left hand. One of the others flicked her omni-tool to a life for a short moment, sending the signal to open the heavy doors while Kani took a step to her right to let us move past. Nodding sharply, with far more confidence than I actually felt, I stalked past her and made it to the archway before I felt something in my chest clench a little.

The last time I'd been in this room... my mother had been alive. So had my sisters. So had my team. So had... so many others.

The room was a precise circle, an upper tier overlooking three rings descending in slight succession, sunlight being perfectly filtered to create the symbol of the Eclipse across the floor regardless of the time of day. Twenty swirling columns surrounded the top tier, beside each of which another Elder Sister stood guard over the assembled room.

Below them were forty or so Asari, the assembled warlords who nominally answered to Jona Sederis, about half of whom had once constituted the member ranks of the old Cathian Confederation, the Black Republic of the Asari. Some were the business rulers of corporate worlds, others were hereditary monarchs, yet more had killed for their realms, and a rare few had actually been elected.

Behind me, Musio gave me a surprisingly gentle nudge, and I shook my head sharply before getting my short ass moving again. We separated with a quick glance, Musio taking the nearest gentle ramp down to the lowest level, while I remained up at the top along with the other associates, subordinates, the occasional alien staff member, and other pseudo-allies.

One of them noticed my approach, smiled slightly, and approached.

"Trena T'Laria." Aeri B'Val, Commander of Bluewave Securities, gave me a theatrical little bow. She wasn't all that attractive, her chest was flat beneath her ice-blue uniform, her features a bit broad, but the little scars around the left side of her mouth gave her a nice little edge. "Should have known Kean would send you instead of showing up himself."

I exhaled sharply through my nose, "Athame's ass, is everyone going to fucking bother me about that?"

The leader of the most powerful mercenary corporation in the Terminus threw back her head and laughed, seemingly genuinely amused. "Probably. I know some of the mess he's become involved in, so I didn't actually expect him, but I doubt many of these idiots do."

Some of said idiots who were nearby gave her dark looks that she entirely ignored, something that raised my approval levels a bit.

"How much do you know about the crap we're doing?" I asked, moving to stand a bit closer, figuring we professional murderers might as well stick together.

"Heard about the Collectors being active lately." She replied easily, crossing her arms and turning so we were standing shoulder to shoulder. "Heard that Aria had given him and a few others orders to deal with it, and that his fleet and his Omega division is sailing into the Traverse bit by bit."

I grunted, not terribly surprised that she was keeping tabs on us, not when she'd been given the other half of that shithole Redcliffe to garrison. Cieran and Ayle had their own little network keeping track of her shit in turn, noting how many troops she was moving to Redcliffe, and how many were busy on other contracts. "You know what all this is about too?"

There was a powerful inhalation, her pleasant demeanor fading quickly as she lowered her voice to something bitter. "Fucking power plays made by old whores stirring up storms, and we're stuck just trying to stay afloat. Situation fucking typical."

Another grunt came out of my throat, indicating my total agreement. "And you're siding with Sederis?"

"Maybe." She replied, her eyes narrowing when I simply pursed my lips in response. "You know the details?"

"Some of them. Shit's going to piss off everyone."

"I wish that surprised me." Aeri sighed, "Is there at least some core of cleverness to the insanity, or is it entirely crazy?"

"Fuck if I know." I replied tiredly, shaking my head and settling in to wait. It didn't take long, a minute or two passing before a heavy bell tolled somewhere above us. Everyone turned towards the main doors when the heavy things groaned open once more, watching as two more figures came through.

My father was out in front, dressed in even more abominably ugly armor than her personal guard, her lips set in the same perpetual smirk she always wore when she thought she was in control of the situation. Behind her, wearing a far more practical yellow dress, was Matriarch Desa Rassial, Mistress of the Morning Eclipse. The two moved down the levels as all conversation ceased, joining my cousin as the sole beings in the lowest circle.

Musio and Desa remained standing, while Jona plopped her ass onto the small couch positioned in the dead center of the room.

"Less than half of you were present the last time I called a meeting like this," Jona didn't bother raising her voice, it echoed just fine in the absolute silence. "So we're going to have to get the bloody obvious out of the way first. When I gathered all of you back together, our goal was to rebuild from what that incompetent turtle of a Patriarch did to us."

Even the mocking title of Raik Vol sent a rustle of anger through the room, particularly amongst the older _Meshinvi._ They, at least, could remember the centuries where they had been the princess-bitches of the Terminus, their Confederation as powerful and arrogant as they themselves were. Then Patriarch had decided to shore up his own power by butchering their Queen, killing her immediate family, and sending assassins after anyone who he thought might be strong enough to claim the title.

I'd grown up in the in-fighting that had lasted for centuries after, and watched as the Eclipse had grown into the void left behind.

"Our goal was to create a new realm, one strong enough that no Thessian whore or Omega gutter rat would be able to fuck with us." She continued, "Shit fell apart after the Black Night, and I'll even admit that, but now... _now_ we are back."

There was an almost confused murmur, a few of the warlords briefly joining hands with their neighbors to transfer emotions and thoughts, and then one of them took a step forwards from the second-lowest ring, her black and red dress striking even at this distance.

"And what," It took me a few breaths to place the statuesque bitch; Executive Feri Halora, one of the few Matriarchs present. "Do you mean by that, Sederis? Is the banner of your Eclipse to be thrown aside, and the Confederation resumed?"

Jona stared hard at the older woman, then replied, "The Eclipse _is_ the Confederation, Feri."

The Matriarch scoffed, "Hardly. We were Queens too, Jona. When T'Kun ruled us she did so as the first among equals, not as if she was a goddess lording above mere mortals."

"And look where that got her." My father retaliated, "How many of you fucking moved to her defense? I knew the bitch when I was young, and there wasn't a fucking better strategist or tactician ever _born_ in this goddess-forsaken part of the galaxy. She bloody _humiliated_ the Hierarchy, killed a goddess-damned Primarch for fuck's sake... and you cowardly _whores_ let her heart get ripped out by a dottering old _beast_ who couldn't outwit one of his own _dancers!"_

Halora flinched back a step at the sudden shout, wincing visibly along with many others. Unfortunately for them, Jona wasn't done, rising from her couch in a single furious motion, blue-black light rippling around her hands as she snarled, raising her voice yet further.

"War is coming! The Reapers are coming!" Her voice nearly thundered with the force of her anger, "Thessia is coming! By the fucking goddess you _will_ unite behind me or you _will_ die, and I will be more than happy to end your miserable existences right fucking now!"

The shocked silence seemed oppressive as fuck in the wake of the volume, but the retaliatory anger came out soon enough. No one shouted back at her, no one was that fucking stupid, but the air began to crackle with power as more momentary melds and quick glances occurred between those glaring the most severely.

"Please try something." _Meshinvi_ Vela T'Kun all but purred, stepping down from the lower ring, a hand already on the hilt of her blade. "I would be more than happy to help our Queen by dealing with the people who abandoned my aunt and cousins."

Others began to shift as well... all of them Matrons, all of them smirking as they moved down to the lowest level, pointedly exposing their backs to Jona even as they stared up at those who weren't descending. Within a few minutes only Halora and the four other Matriarchs remained on the second and third levels, none of them looking nearly so confident as they had just a short time before.

Beside me, Aeri frowned and leaned close, her voice barely audible. "Why the high pressure tactics? Halora's a bitch but she's a businesswoman. She'd take a deal, and replacing her will be a pain in the ass."

I grimaced, my own lips hardly moving. "Aria will be here any minute."

The mercenary blanched almost immediately, her dusky blue skin abruptly turning waxy and sickened. "Oh... Athame's azure... do you have an excuse to leave?"

I fucking wished that I did, but the drama below escalated further before I could reply.

Halora stood her ground, crossing her arms across her generous chest as she stared down at the assembly below her, "Do they know you killed a Council Spectre this past month, Jona?"

Evidently most of them hadn't, because more than a few smirks shifted into something less certain.

"Or that the Council has called for their subcommittee on defense to draw up war plans to invade the Spinward Terminus?" The Matriarch continued, "That they intend to conquer us all if you are not turned over to them as a criminal?"

Jona remained silent, crossing her arms and still smirking up at the elder being. Her confidence seemed to keep those around her from drifting away, but only just.

Halora drew herself up, as if sensing weakness, "Or that the Republics have spent the last century psychologically preparing their people to 'reclaim their Lost Republic'? That they will commit everything thanks to your insanity?"

I sighed as Halora revealed herself to be a businesswoman, and a shit politician. She was worried about her bottom line, her interests and holdings, and expected everyone else to act from the same stupid-assed viewpoint. She didn't like the Republics anymore than the rest of us did, but didn't want to fight them either, not if she had a way to avoid that kind of shit.

The same couldn't be said of the others. Even the bloody mention of Thessia's intent immediately turned the worried glances and frowns into something dark and furious, whatever brief whirlpools she'd conjured up to break the opposition healing instantly.

Fighting off a Council invasion was a terrifying proposition without the entire Terminus united behind their asses, and even then a worrying concept. Something to be met by bargaining and evasion if possible.

Fighting off a Republic attack was something to be met by dying to the last, youngest Maiden if that was what it bloody took to make Thessia fucking realize we weren't their playthings.

"You would side with her?" Halora's voice became disbelieving, her head shaking with something like pity. "The same who has _caused_ all of this with her utterly pointless actions? And at the worst goddess-damned time on top of that, when the remainder of the Terminus is neither inclined nor even able to assist us!"

That made a few of the younger tits glance at one another, a few last momentary melds... but they remained where they were.

Jona let the pointed silence lap across the room a few times before speaking, spearing each of the other Matriarchs with her attention as she spoke their personal names. "Essa, Jori, Ten, Tolla. Are you with this old bitch, or are you with me?"

For a long breath, none responded, then the oldest, Jori T'Mar, sighed loudly. "I'm too old and too tired for this shit. Vea? Rule well my daughter."

There was a startled exclamation from a Maiden half-way around the room from me, and she took an almost hesitant step forwards as her mother turned away and began heading for the door, gathering up the white folds of her dress as she did. Two of the others hesitated, then called out to their own heirs before electing to depart for their homeworlds. Jona let them go, though I didn't doubt that they'd end up with Night Whisperers lurking around for the rest of their goddess-damned lives.

That left two, and then one as Tolla Renea sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry Feri, but I don't have any desire to become a martyr."

Halora was left alone as the last Matriarch walked down the steps, taking her place with the others. To her credit, the old bitch straightened up as best she could and pulled an elegant blade from the folds of her dress, warpfire shimmering along its edge as she stared at the assembly below her.

Jona moved forwards, the little crowd parting as she drew her own blade, her smirk utterly patronizing as she lifted her left hand, as though inspecting her bloody fingernails. "At least you know how to die like a Warlord. Any last words?"

"You are already dead..." Came the disgusted reply. "You are simply too stupid to realize it. The Justicars will take you all."

The last syllable had barely left her lips before I had to flinch back, an roaring, laser-like _needle_ of almost black biotic power screaming out from Jona's upraised left hand. Halora tried to dodge aside, tried to use the latent energy in her sword to deflect the blow, but wasn't fast enough to accomplish either. The range was too short, the power moving too quickly, and the fight ended before it could begin.

The warpfire lance punctured her barriers, her flesh, her heart, and her spine with equal disdain, burrowing its way into the elegant stone floor about a meter from my left foot as everyone nearby, myself fucking included, flash-stepped away in pure, panicked reflex.

"Someone clean that up." My father purred as the ringing in the air slowed, everyone staring at the crumpled form and at her in equal measure. As per fucking usual after killing something, she looked like she'd just had the best goddess-damned orgasm of her life and was eager for another.

Which was kind of fucking worrying me, since she normally only got that glazed look if there was a few million credits worth of property damage. Either she was off her goddess-damned meds, or she'd been looking forwards to killing that poor bitch for a long time.

"The rest of you..." She continued, taking a too-deep breath as she seemingly forced herself to look away from the corpse, "Back to your places, we still have matters to resolve."

Two Elder Sisters flashed forwards, grabbing the well-dressed body and hauling it up the ramp towards the door. A third moved as well, picking up the fallen Matriarch's sword and carrying it as she returned to her post. Everyone slowly returned to their places in the various rings, though no one stood near the trail of purple blood that had been left behind.

Jona took her seat once more, though she pointedly kept her sword out rather than sheathing it. Once she was sure we were ready to listen, she resumed speaking as if nothing of interest had just fucking happened.

"Organizationally there will be few changes, we don't have the goddess-damned time." Her fingers curled and uncurled slowly around the hilt, moving in a deliberate sequence to draw everyone's eyes to the blade in her lap. "That means you all will retain a degree of autonomy within your own waters."

That seemed to calm a few of them, though someone I didn't recognize replied, "Will we utilize the Morning Eclipse for administrative overhead?"

Jona actually grimaced. "No. They will be tasked with overseeing areas directly under the Eclipse's control, we'll be rebuilding the old bureaucracy as quickly as the wind allows."

More grimaces and murmurs circled the room, and I couldn't exactly blame any of them. Even building something as lean as the Blade's Administration department had been a fucking pain in the ass, and that was something intended to oversee a couple of military bases and a small city. Recreating a fucking governmental structure that had fallen apart a few centuries ago was probably going to cause more than a few bitchy disagreements.

"The base plan is for a simple and minimal organization to which you will all report, and from whom you'll receive production targets, conscription requirements, and other shit." Jona continued once she was good and ready to, "We're using the old Confederation's districts as our regions. Over the following several days we will..." Her mask briefly cracked, showing something like nausea, "Discuss and formulate the requirements for such an organization."

Vela T'Kun made a polite sound, "With respect, Queen, that is something we can leave for later. Right now I believe we have more immediate concerns."

Jona glowered at her for a few heartbeats, the change of expression coming as unsettlingly quickly as ever. "If you're going to state the bloody obvious just _state it_ , don't dance around the fucking question. Yes. I killed one of the Council's pet psychopaths on Illium, and yes, the fools evidently are using that as an excuse to come for us. I won't bother insulting your collective intelligence by denying that I planned for such a thing."

I grimaced as a quiet murmur of... not shock so much as understandable confusion ran through the room.

"The _reason_ I went and fucking did that, and why I would have done far more to provoke those quadless cretins, is because we _are not ready for war."_ The last part of the sentence came out as a furious growl, "Apparently our people are not _convinced_ that the Reapers are coming, that the Leviathans are real and wish us to worship them as fucking gods. Some of you are apparently of the same bloody mind, so now I've given you an enemy that you can fucking _comprehend."_

It was probably a good thing the bitch had already killed Halora and demonstrated that she wasn't going to put up with shit, because the furor those words caused would have probably become an immediate attempt to dethrone the new Queen instead of merely setting off angry shouts and denials.

The tumult lasted for a good few minutes, Jona snarling back at the crowd even as said crowd began to snap at each other as much as her. I half expected her to blast someone, lethally or not, just to reinforce the point, then I kicked myself in the ass when I realized that that would just let them all unify against her out of rational fear. And right now she needed them all solidly on her side, that meant trying to convince them with words instead of violence.

And she wasn't much fucking good at that. Not anymore, not after the long and bitter life she'd lived.

Around the fifth minute, Aeri wrapped her fingers around my wrist, her mind gently brushing past my own, giving me a single impression of furious impatience tinged with wariness. I grunted, understanding the request and why she didn't want to take the risk herself, and flicked my right hand up before drawing in my focus, narrowing my eyes as I targeted a column with no Sister at its base. It took me a few seconds, dark energy rippling down my arm as I summoned and forced it to obey my will, a far cry from Jona's instantaneous use.

My own lance wasn't the dark line of my father's, it was closer to two finger widths in diameter, and it was bright as a burning blue sun. Which, in this case, was actually more bloody useful, since it sure as fuck got everyone's attention when it screamed across the room and drilled a hole through solid stone.

"Athame's ass would you all fucking shut up!?" I bellowed as best as I could into the shocked silence that followed, noting that every guard remaining had weapons pointed more or less in my direction. "The shit is fucking done, stop whining like a bunch of maidens still clinging to your mother's tits and focus on what the fuck you're going to do now!"

The silence continued for another breath, then Jona threw back her had and laughed, looking for all the fucking galaxy like she was genuinely amused. That didn't seem to endear me to the others, many of whom were looking at me in the same fashion a haughty Matriarch might glare at some insect that had stained her shoes when she stepped upon it.

"How I've missed you Gears." She managed to get out in between chortles, "As direct and impolite as ever... it is good to have you back."

I glared at her, wrapping my fingers around the edges of my coat and tugging it a bit to emphasize just what uniform I was wearing. "Can we get to the fucking point?"

Jona's eyes narrowed slightly, but she kept her smile in place as she returned her attention to everyone else. "As I said, I had _planned_ for this. War may be inevitable but that does not mean that it is going to happen tomorrow, nor within the next few months. We now have the motivation to prepare for total war, and managing such will be all of your responsibilities. Delaying the Council and Republics and limiting their capability will be mine."

As if on cue, there was an ominous clang as the door behind us all shut, and Aria T'Loak's voice rang through the hall. "Oh _this_ I have to hear dear Jona. Go on then, tell us how you intend to delay those fools before they come for your head."

I turned, along with nearly everyone else in the goddess-forsaken place, and saw Omega's Queen stride into the room with the same overwhelming confidence she always did. Behind her were Leska and Ithiri, my half-sisters both visibly noting the blood trail leading out of the room, the situation in general, the waves churning as they tried to work out their mother's plan.

Somehow I managed to be surprised that she hadn't told Leska at least... unless she had and the cold bitch was just playing Aria.

For her part, the Queen seemed to take in the room with a single glance, and to not like at all what she was seeing. It had to have been some kind of fucking extra sense that she had, some weird as shit ability to read a crowd and instantly know who she had to bribe, who she had fuck, and who she had to kill in order to come out on top. She picked out Aeri and I at once, along with the other few 'independents' who had been summoned, along with three of the _Meshinvi_ who nominally lived in 'her' territory, and I think it was then that she got where this was all going.

Shockingly, it pissed her the fuck off.

Jona's small smile widened back into a smirk, "I intend to do _exactly_ what they've always wanted, Aria. I'm going to be... civil."

"Civil." Aria drawled darkly, her leather clad legs carrying her down the blood-stained ramp, the few warlords even near backing even farther away as she passed. "I didn't know you understood the concept."

"Understanding and caring to be something are separate matters." My father cut a hand through the air dismissively. "If anything I should thank you for... enlightening me as to the best means to proceed."

One of the Black Queen's boots struck the ground far harder than necessary. "Explain."

The smirk became something vicious, "You've spent the last century playing us all against each other, always parting the right waves, riding the right winds, anything you had to do to make sure none of us could challenge you. Divide and conquer, I believe is how the Humans phrase it."

"I see." Aria only stopped moving once she reached the lowest ring, standing a meter or so away from my father. "How many requests?"

"All but the Union and Republics, and nothing to those fucks on the Council itself." Came the easy reply, Jona looking far too pleased with herself. Avoiding those two would assure the general population that she wasn't trying to sell them out, and any anger would only last until the denunciations rolled out from Thessia. Then the anger would spark up. "They should receive my requests for recognition and embassies within the next week."

Thus neatly hurling the clawball right back to the Council and leaving them with a fuck-all mess. If even _one_ of them actually recognized the Eclipse or Confederation or whatever the shit she was going to call it, the fallout would be immense. And considering that part of this insane concept was the fact that the Republics Assembly was in the run-up to their election season, what the fuck to do was going to become an internal political issue if any negotiations started up. Then there was the Alliance and their own problems with internal crap, and whether or not they'd want their current Councilor to be the one to decide anything.

And neither nation was known for figuring crap out with any kind of speed.

"Dear Yan," Jona continued, stilling smirking her ass off, "Has assured me that she will be requesting the same on behalf of her Empire. How long do you think it will take them to deal with the ramifications of _two_ Terminus nation-states requesting galactic recognition of our sovereignty?"

Aria cocked her head a little, looking as if she was considering the plan. Which the bitch wasn't, she'd probably worked out that much as soon as she'd heard that a conference had been called and realized both the potential and the problems. Her issue was more immediate and more direct; the idea that Illium and Xentha were coordinating was the real surprise, and a fucking unpleasant one for her.

"How long do you intend to carry out the charade?" She finally asked. "How long do you think you can drag out negotiations before they lose their patience?"

Jona pursed her lips, then glanced behind her at the silent form of Desa Rassial. The Matriarch sighed, then nodded and began speaking. "Four months should be sufficient to enact the initial preparation. Six or seven months would be ideal."

Aria grunted. "You honestly believe you can stall them for that long with petty politics?"

"If I didn't I'd have thought of something else." Jona crossed her arms arrogantly, but from the uneasy glances around the room, no one else quite shared her confidence. "And why are you even here, Aria? Don't you have a campaign to be managing?"

She couldn't have been less fucking subtle if she'd gotten up and slapped Aria across the face. The collective intake of breath was sharp and instant, and everyone with any goddess-damned sense went utterly still as the lot of them finally realized that a power play was happening, that one Warlord was asserting her dominance over another.

Aria stared hard right back at her, naked venom visible in her gaze even from where I was standing. She'd made a mistake in coming here to demand answers, and from the momentary glance she gave a stoic Leska and a smirking Ithiri, she knew who had manipulated her into it. Worse, her options were utter shit.

If she backed down, she'd solidify the support of everyone here for her rival and tacitly admit her own weakness, her inability to guide both Sederis and T'Ravt according to her own plans.

If she tried to force Jona back underneath her waves, Jona would fight... and while personally I thought that Aria could take her in a straight brawl, she wouldn't get anything like that here, at the heart of the Eclipse's strength.

Aria shook her head slightly, as if dismissing an option, and made one final glance around the room. A few looked away, refusing to meet her gaze, others stared back with venom of their own. Many had hoped that _she_ would be the one sitting where Jona was, rebuilding the old nation... and instead she'd fucked them over, set them against each other, and concentrated on making something new in her hidden clusters.

Turning on a heel, she calmly began to walk back up the ramp, then paused as she reached the top ring. "B'Val. T'Laria. Your corporations are with them?"

"Are you fucking serious?" I shook my head disgustedly, "You've all but broadcast that you're trying to get us fucking killed fighting the bugs, why in Athame's bloody name would we side with you?"

Aria was too collected to react, instead simply flicking her cold eyes to Aeri. The other mercenary exhaled sharply, half-closed her eyes, and then shook her head. "...they hold my contract."

Omega's Queen pursed her lips, then dipped her head slightly, as if accepting our statements. Or perhaps it was better to say that she understood that T'Ravt and Jona were taking _another_ shot at her power-base, hitting at her over-reliance on mercenaries to augment her professional but tiny army. Neither of us were actually a direct threat to her, but we were the largest two mercenary groups around at the moment; losing access to our services would be just one more annoying storm rolling in on her.

She turned to stare down my half-sisters as they remained near the door... then she turned away, her legs carrying her out of the room and out of sight.

* * *

 **Alliance News Network – Breaking News**

 _We interrupt the evening broadcast with breaking news. According to anonymous sources within the Alliance diplomatic service, messages have arrived from Xentha and from Illium requesting diplomatic recognition as sovereign states. Reports coming in indicate that similar dispatches have been sent to the Turian Hierarchy and the Courts of Dekuuna, with the possibility that all Council member nations have as well._

 _While we still have no comment from government officials, discussions have immediately erupted across the extra-net both for and against recognition. Snap polls seem to indicate a generally favorable opinion of recognizing the Eclipse Confederation, but strong opposition to any idea of doing the same for the Xenthan Empire..._

 _Excuse me, we cut now to Miss Allers on Earth, who is with the new Deputy Chairman of the Terra Firma party, Mister Jorge Gunddarsen._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Operation III: Legend's War**_

 _And thus our interludes wrap up, a galaxy-spanning political shitstorm begins, and we get ready for the next operation. Things are going to start happening at a faster pace from here on out as events start to tumble together, so hopefully everyone will enjoy the ride_

 _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_

 _Thanks, Kat_


	22. Operation: Legend's War I

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation III: Legend's War**

* * *

 **Arcturus Daily News**

" _Welcome back to the Morning Call here on the ADN, I'm your host Hei Xiong. With me are my new co-hosts, Professor Maria Silva, formerly of the University of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, and Admiral Jin Mikawa, retired."_ The host, a well built man in an form-fitting black suit, and was evidently confident enough in himself to have grown a neat beard, turned to the woman seated beside him at the table. " _Maria, I'm going to start with the same question we've been asking for the last six weeks. Where are we now in regards to the recognition of the various Terminus nations as sovereign powers?"_

 _"Unfortunately the situation remains fluid."_ His co-host replied, her smile slight but professional. " _So far the Citadel has only stated the millenia old official line, that being that the Terminus is Council territory considered to be in rebellion, however the reactions from the various member states has already moved away from such. The Courts of Dekuuna remain the driving force in regards to recognition."_

Xiong nodded thoughtfully, " _Have they changed any of their requests since Warlord Cessa T'Auriel made her broadcast last week?"_

" _They have not."_ She shook her head, " _Their official line remains that any negotiation with the Eclipse Confederation must be preceded by Jona Sederis stepping down, but that they are open to less drastic conversation with Empress T'Ravt. Given the reputation of T'Auriel I would anticipate that they would favor recognition of her shadow nation as well."_

 _"Possible."_ The third man was older than his partners, but was similarly well dressed with only a polished Golden Sunburst medallion on his left breast to indicate his past. " _However I believe that your choice of words was perfect in regards to the word 'shadow'. We know very little of how she rules, and I believe that even the Elcor would wish more information before they commit."_

 _"What of the other nations?"_ The primary host turned, leaning an elbow on the table as he regarded the retired Admiral. " _The Republics and the Union have decried this as nothing more than an effort to stall their legitimate effort to bring Jona Sederis to justice for her crimes."_

" _I assume you ask of the Hierarchy."_ Mikawa sighed, " _They are are in a complicated position. It is clear that their Primarch and Councilor are in favor of recognizing Empress T'Ravt provided that she ends the slave trade and takes measures to shut down pirate activity within her borders, but they are far less supportive of the Eclipse."_

A slow nod, " _Do you believe that they would be more open if Jona Sederis resigned, perhaps appointing one of her daughters to rule?"_

 _"They likely would be."_ There was a demure shrug, " _Her reputation as an unstable factor, and the accusations that she recently killed a Spectre on Illium, certain cast a pall over any thoughts of treating her as a head of state."_

Miss Silva gave an unladylike snort, " _They cast more than that. As the Admiral said, there are many groups in all five Council nations that are calling for an operation to arrest her and bring her to the Citadel for trial."_

 _"True,"_ Xiong allowed, " _However there are also counter-demonstrations against any such effort, with many officials, both in Parliament and abroad, pointing out that doing so would certainly be considered an act of war by the Terminus. How many thousands or millions would die simply to capture a single woman?"_

 _"Quite right."_ Mikawa nodded, " _Further, it would risk stopping any campaign the Warlords are preparing against the Geth, leaving them at large and capable of making a second effort against the Citadel. However many lives Sederis is going to lose in such a venture should more than balance the loss of a single Spectre agent, especially as she went missing on a world whose legal status is... opaque at best."_

" _Admiral,"_ Silva shook her head, " _You can't honestly believe that. While I agree that openly invading this Confederation is not the solution, you can't just write off what Sederis is alleged to have done simply because she happens to be fighting the Geth."_

" _Spectre agents know the risks."_ He replied quickly, " _They know their lives could be lost on any given mission. She would hardly be the first to have died in action, and likely not the first to have died on Illium either. Any outrage that the Republics are mustering is faux, summoned merely because they think that this time they may be able to eliminate a rival."_

" _That goes too far_." Came a rapid retort, " _Too far. You're all but saying that they sent her there in the hopes that an incident would happen."_

" _I am accusing them of nothing."_ The old man crossed his arms, " _I am simply observing that they were quick to counter Sederis' declaration of her new nation with accusations of murder, yet the murder supposedly happened several weeks prior. Why the delay?"_

" _They already released a statement indicating that they-"_

 _"Maria, Jin, please."_ Xiong interrupted politely, " _Let's leave that discussion for after the break. When we return we'll also be joined live by Miss Nirmala, assistant ambassador to the Vol Protectorate."_

* * *

 ** _ _Imperfect Glass__**

 _ _Date:__ 11-14-2187

 _ _Location:__ SR _Normandy II_ , Outer Yamaguchi System, Attican Traverse

* * *

I sighed as I turned the broadcast off, resisting the urge to rub tiredly at my forehead. Six weeks after the madwoman's declaration and it was still the first topic of nearly every morning show, though as ever they preferred to move away from details and towards pointless bickering as quickly as possible.

That or simply obsess over the 'new' Eclipse Confederation and what its presence could mean, entirely ignoring the fact that the far more established Xenthan Empire was also involved. That the ADN had mentioned them at all made the stand out, even if they had immediately shifted away from the cold realpolitik of dealing with the Lady in favor of the sensationalist headlines of a Spectre being killed on what the Council still considered to be one of their worlds.

The fact that Illium's population was overwhelming in support of Jona Sederis was another anecdote that tended to be pointlessly debated for hours.

Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back, the luxurious pillows embracing me as I forced myself to focus on the actual reason I had tuned in to that particular show today. Maria Silva shouldn't have been available to host a morning talk show, she should have been farther up station, at Parliament, as one of Brazil's representatives. I had been hoping that their welcoming segment would cover _something_ in regards to why one of Terra Firma's most veteran members had suddenly resigned her post.

Especially as she was hardly alone.

Ten other leading members of the party had 'resigned' over the past two months, for a variety of reasons that all struck me as incredibly contrived. They had all shared a few traits; they had been the loose canons who rarely obeyed party leadership, the ones most likely to leap in front of whatever popular platform presented itself, and quite frankly they had been among the least capable of actually being _useful_ once given power. Still, they weren't _useless_ either, counting for a few extra votes if nothing else.

Harper was cleaning his house of deadwood... and doing so at a critical time. Udina was clearly moving towards yet another No-Confidence vote that he was unlikely to survive, even the notion of opening a dialog with T'Ravt had the Verge colonists up in arms, and there were still demands to open investigations into Spectre Severa's heavy-handed pursuit of Cerberus across the Alliance.

Why now, of all times...?

Sighing, I pushed myself out of the loft's bed, my bare feet and the cold deck combining to chase away what tiredness remained. While the main lights were off, the soft blue glow from my aquariums provided me with more than enough light to pull a pair of slippers on and to wrap myself in a thick white robe before padding up and into my office area.

"EDI, bring up my inbox please." I asked as I settled into my chair.

"Of course Miss Lawson." The AI replied, her avatar springing to life in the corner of my desk. "Would you like me to bring the lights up as well?"

"No, thank you." My eyes tracked left as a console activated, displaying the long list of mail awaiting review. "Prioritize any messages from Peregrine base."

She updated the list promptly, sending a single message to the top of the stack. A glance confirmed it to be nothing more than the usual daily report, indicating that they had finally cleaned out the complex's eastern buildings, and that EVA was still working on cracking the new AIS encryption. Most of the other teams had anything pertinent to report, but as most of them were still in the process of infiltrating and establishing themselves, I hadn't really expected any.

The sole exception was Operation Rhein, the tiny cell indicating that there were three light cruisers, a destroyer, and seven frigates above Horizon, but still nothing above Ferris Fields. A glance at the names and a comparison against a much longer list in my memory confirmed that none of them had Captains on Cerberus' payroll, which was likely an intentional effort to protect what combat assets Harper still had in his pocket.

"EDI, do we have any updates from Kean in regards to the positioning of the various groups?"

"Affirmative. Opening his morning update for you." She hummed as the screen flickered to show the report in question. EDI remained quiet once she had done so, knowing that I preferred to read things for myself rather than to have her summarize it, giving me time to read through Kean's laconic writing style.

To everyone's surprise, Aria had not withdrawn either of the Batarian warlords she had tasked to work with Kean nor even threatened to do so. He was properly worried about the lack of action but had also readily admitted that he had little choice but to continue holding his precarious position between the three Asari who were clearly preparing to divide the Terminus between themselves.

I was as uncertain as he if the pair would actually commit when the Collectors came, which was why he had requested an Imperial task force from Lady T'Ravt. The Warlord had dispatched one of her task forces, giving us a respectable collection of assets, which we had divided among the four most probable targets.

Kean's fleet, still recovering from the battle at Cronos station and the least capable of the four as a result, was lurking in the Oort cloud of the Yamaguchi system, watching over Nagato. The colony's large Turian minority and fortress like cities made it an improbable target despite its high Human population, but the possibility of an attack remained. Further, given its easy relay connections to the other three potential targets, it made an ideal base from which to stage Kean's ground troops.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was _Ha'diq_ ul Ajin, the powerful pirate similarly lurking near Ferris Fields, the planet still convulsing with the after-shocks of a minor civil war. In between the extremes were the Xenthans near New Canton and its dug-in Blades garrison, and _Ha'diq_ ul Veik, who was being understandably cautious in his position regarding Horizon.

My eyes flicked left to right as I read his confirmation; all of the fleets were in position, and both Nagato and New Canton had two regiments of his people ready to defend them. Another four waited impatiently in their transport ships, waiting to move to whichever colony needed them, much as they had been for the last two and a half weeks.

I grimaced as I reached the end of his message, and the request he'd tacked on to the end. "Please send a reply indicating that we can move our conference to the _Normandy_ , though I would prefer it actually take place in the conference room rather than the cargo bay. We hardly need a repeat of our last attempt at a working meeting."

"I will stress the relevant words." EDI assured me, "I believe that Commander Shepard indicated that she wished to speak with you privately at some point today as well. Would you like me to schedule something before or after the conference?"

"Before." I glanced at the small clock on the screen, "If she is awake, invite her up in one hour."

"She is, and I have done so." There was a pause, Shepard needing more time than an AI to properly reply, "The Commander has agreed, she will arrive in sixty minutes. Would you like for her to bring breakfast or coffee with?"

"Both, if she could."

While EDI passed that message on, I reluctantly ran through the remainder of my morning paperwork, finding the routine to be as dreary as it ever was. Financial reports from Earth concerning our various investments, recommendations from Roosevelt in regards to how our funds should be allocated, and what amounted to several pages of guesswork in regards to how Harper was diversifying his own assets.

Important, but hardly the kind of thing one wanted to slog through upon waking.

I persevered through the strength of genetic enhancement, reading the text and committing it to memory so that I could review it later rather than attempting to do so now. That left me with nearly fifty minutes to run through my morning calisthenic routine, take a short but blisteringly hot shower, and then dress myself in the dark uniform of a Cerberus commander.

By the time Shepard arrived, clad in the dark blue uniform of an Alliance officer, I had turned the lights on, migrated to the couch near my bed, and was reviewing my second influx of morning messages on a tablet; four separate ones from Chambers concerning her various observations on our guests and allies.

"Miranda." The greeting was welcome, though the tray of food and the steaming mugs of dark coffee was more so. "Good morning."

"Morning Shepard." I replied politely as she settled onto the loft's second couch. "I see Mister Gardner is no longer rationing the bacon."

"We now have more than enough," She smiled as she took her own plate from the tray, "Courtesy of the Shadow Broker's daughter diverting a few shipments our way."

I couldn't help but smile I return, "Remind me to thank her, would you?"

"I will." The Spectre promised before the pair of us fell onto our meals. She had taken to eating with me most mornings, though I thought that had more to do with her embarrassment over how much food was piled onto her plate rather than a sign that she enjoyed my company. As my own engineered body demanded a similarly high caloric intake, it didn't seem like she was over-indulging as it did when she ate alongside the ship's crew.

I had gotten used to the differences between myself and normal Humans by the time I was eight, but Shepard was understandably having a more difficult time. Personally I considered it impressive that she was holding things together as well she was, though I didn't doubt Chambers assertion that her wife was helping significantly in that regard.

In either case we ate quickly but quietly, not sullying the meal or the company with conversation until we had emptied our plates and were settling back into the luxurious leather with our coffee.

"What did you want to speak about?" I asked once the silence had drawn out for a few minutes. "I am assuming it's something you would rather Kean not be involved in, otherwise we could have simply talked about it later. Shadow Broker business then?"

There was a sigh, "I really hate it when you do that."

I smiled a little over my cup. It hadn't been a difficult guess, given that T'Soni had her partial connection to the Broker Network in their cabin, and that neither of them were so gullible as to believe that EDI wasn't tracking every bit of information coming through. Of course, neither was Aethyta T'Voth, and her daughter received what could only be a small sub-section of intelligence as a result.

Kean, while assuredly an ally in regards to our current operations, didn't quite receive the same level of information from the Broker. Then again he seemed to receive intelligence through other avenues that he didn't often care to share with us, so the scales remained largely balanced.

After a few moments, Shepard gathered herself and got started, "I want your help on a covert operation, as soon as we have a week or two to spare. It's... probably going to be extremely risky."

I frowned at her, setting what was left of my coffee aside and trying to figure out where she was going with this. "I won't commit my people without details Shepard. Will it be an operation against the Matriarch's portion of the Broker Network?"

"No, we could rely on Kean for that." She seemed to grimace, "I don't think he'll be of any use on the Citadel."

"The..." Words failed me for a moment before I recovered, "Shepard, even assuming you could get onto the station, Sparatus won't be able to protect you; he's edging around Council law as it is. You'll be arrested by the other Spectres and held for interrogation before you can even attempt to do anything."

"That's why I said it will be risky." Came the counter, though she didn't raise her voice or change her tones, "It's going to be a stealth mission using the Foundations and Spectre tunnels to move around the Citadel, until we can get into the Asari embassy."

My eyes narrowed slightly as I considered that, "The gourmet foods came with a message packet, didn't they?"

"They did, Liara and I were up all night going over it." Shepard replied, "There's... divisions appearing inside of the Republics' officials on station. Most of the Asari Spectres have been re-assigned off station, but a good dozen are still there and evidently have refused commands from Tevos to leave."

"Ominous." I murmured. "You want to confront the Councilor? You believe that she will listen?"

The Spectre grimaced. "I think she's having problems of her own. Either she's throwing wild parties in her chambers every night, or she's on the fast-track to alcoholism."

I couldn't stop myself from sucking in a breath and sinking back into my couch. As much as I disliked the concept of the Citadel Council, it didn't change the reality that the five members of its body were, quite simply, the _most_ powerful individuals in the galaxy. Even amongst that number, it could have been argued that Tevos was the strongest in terms of both her connections, her influence over Lidanya and the Citadel's combined fleet, and the political skills honed from more than eight decades on the job.

If she was allowing herself to succumb to something as base as alcoholic addiction, something was very wrong on that station.

"This is just a guess," She continued, "But I'd say that she's not liking the instructions that she's getting from Thessia, or approving of what's going on in general. According to Aethtya, she's pretty much built her entire life around the Council and her place in it."

"And the Republics have begun to reconsider their own role on the body." I sighed, a hand rising to rub at my right temple. "As are the Salarians. Is there any noticeable divisions within that body?"

"None." She sighed in turn, "I don't want to think that Bau would turn me in, but I think it's better to avoid everyone we can. I want to confront Tevos, and if we can get to them, Spectre T'Kul and Matriarch Lidanya. I'll need your help getting on and off station, and if you can get anything out of the Alliance embassy that would be helpful."

"The latter would be simple enough." I shook my head, "The Alliance embassy has a certain reputation for their inability keep official matters classified. Getting on and off the station will be another matter, even with the _Normandy_."

"I know," A hand rose, "I'm not saying we should rush off and do this immediately after we deal with the Collectors, even if we can. I just want to start planning, start getting false ID's created, any paper trails you think we'll need, that kind of thing."

I lowered my hand, resisting the urge to drum my fingers against something as I considered it. It was going to be a rather extreme risk, even if Shepard's identity came out during our defense of the colonies... such recognition may make it even more dangerous depending upon how the Council and Alliance reacted. But if there was a division between the Republics' Councilor and their government, it was information that we needed to know.

We _had_ to know how far that Leviathan's influence had spread, if the rot could be contained, and what their plans were when the war began. The Citadel would be dangerous, true, but far less so than attempting to infiltrate Thessia itself.

"I'll instruct my people to start the process." Taking up my cup, I finished off the remaining coffee, setting the empty mug back onto the tray. "Any assistance that the Broker Network can provide would be appreciated."

She nodded, too composed to sag in relief, but I could see a slight release of tension around her specked eyes. "Thank you. I'll see what support we can get from that direction."

I nodded back in reply, and we spent a few minutes discussing less consequential matters before she departed to spend some time with her wife prior to Kean's arrival. I allowed her to depart first, taking the elevator down two levels, and only once it returned did I depart my quarters for the bright lights of the CiC.

A few of the crew glanced in my direction, but quickly returned their gazes to their instruments, focusing on their work. The sole exception was Kelly Chambers, who was sitting to the right of the primary lectern, sipping from a cup as she read through a morning report of her own.

"Good morning." She informed me cheerfully, "Sleep well?"

"Quite." I replied, never entirely sure if she was genuinely attempting to engage me in small talk, or attempting to psychoanalyze me. "I need you to compose a mission statement, and to have Operative Church begin preparations."

She cocked her head a little to one side, lifting her right hand to her console as though to negligently type up a request right here. "Of course. What will be the assignment?"

"Full-team infiltration of the Citadel, including Commander Shepard's groups."

It was entirely too satisfying to see her mask break under the blunt words. The Pollyanna woman vanished between one eye blink and another, her green eyes widening before narrowing, her entire posture becoming cold and focused as her brain attempted to chase down the logic trail. Those same eyes closed a few moments later, and she corrected her appearance over the space of a few breaths.

"What will the objective be?" She asked, setting the cup aside and turning to face her screen directly.

I recapped the conversation between myself and Shepard quickly, noting that several nearby Ensign's were clearly hanging on every word. Had Harper still been running Cerberus, discussing such an operation openly would have been unthinkable, but secrecy had never benefited the old organization. My own insurrection was proof enough of that, even before you went into just how many operations had gone beyond their remit.

Better that my limited number of personnel understand just what we stood for, what I felt we needed to do. Operational security would need to be maintained between the various missions, but a degree of trust within said missions was warranted in my opinion.

Once I had finished relating the information, and Kelly was busy typing, I moved to take my place at the Captain's post, touching the command keys to bring the local sensor data up.

The small fleet around us promptly appeared, icons drifting in lazy orbits above a Mars-sized ball of ice. Shuttles flitted between the various mercenary ships and the planet's surface, Kean's people having established a small outpost for the simple reason of giving his crews a place to rest and relax without having to travel all the way in system.

A good concept, though I could have done without the fact that it had taken less than a week to become a glorified casino and bordello. That Kean had done nothing besides shrug when Shepard had confronted him about his own soldiers whoring themselves out to each other hadn't improved the frosty relationship between the two, and my refusal to openly pass judgment had led to a few cool days before she had calmed down.

If nothing else, he wasn't stupid enough to let them drug themselves before a major campaign.

"Relay is hot!" Ensign Patel's abrupt shout made my hand snap out to seize the railing, "Ship incoming to the system!"

"Check the time!" I snapped back, belatedly realizing that I had not checked the updated schedule of planned arrivals this morning. "Bring the core up to full function and set condition one. Mister Moreau, status?"

"Ready to dance." The exasperating pilot sounded as cool and cocky as ever from his place far ahead.

Behind me, Chambers found the appropriate file, reporting, "Time matches the arrival of the Blades' new purchase."

"Maintain the alert until we have confirmation." I kept myself in place as the main display updated, the various satellites we'd left drifting around the Relay creating an image of what was happening there.

Everyone else seemed to breathe more slowly, leaning in towards their screens as Patel called out the energy spikes from the Relay. The incoming vessel resolved itself not long after, a streak of light reforming itself into the form of a single warship, the sensor operator's voice becoming relieved when she reported that the Relay was cycling down; nothing more was coming through.

"Confirmed, _SBS Ha'diq Kordun_." She reported as the ship's IFF was registered, the first part of the Xenthan payment for the Blades' Redcliffe garrison swinging itself around to make the short FTL hop to our location. "EDI, can you confirm that the relay is cold and that they didn't bring guests?"

The AI responded at once, "I can confirm, Miss Patel. There are no anomalous power draws, energy shadows, or other factors to indicate a ride-along vessel. Further, the _Kordun's_ signature matches that of an Xenthan built _Brawl_ class Line Cruiser."

"Stand down from alert, draw the core back." I ordered, relaxing as the situation calmed. "Chambers, do we have any other arrivals scheduled for today?"

"No." Kelly reported after a moment, "Two corvettes and a frigate will be arriving in four days, and a light cruiser the day after."

"Very well." I replied, reaching out to return the display to the local area and checking the time. Kean would be departing in less than an hour, arriving shortly thereafter. Thankfully he was scheduled to be alone today, which meant I wouldn't have to be paranoid about Chi starting another fight simply because she was bored.

Or worse, starting another card game. Seeing my chief engineer without pants once in a lifetime was enough.

I remained in the CiC for another fifteen minutes, ensuring that Chambers had the time to compose her message and that the crew had calmed down after the warship's arrival. Only once I was sure that no incidents would occur, and once I had fully committed the arrival schedule to memory, did I depart for the conference room, beckoning for my assistant to follow.

We moved through the armory rather than the science bay, knowing from experience that Doctor Solus could delay us for hours with discussions on his work and questions about my own. Jacob and Vakarian were both present, both focused on tuning their weapons and quietly discussing upgrade options with one another. Jacob moved to rise and salute when he noticed me, and I irritably waved for him to cease.

He did it anyway, seeking as ever to show me the respect he thought I deserved, and only returned his attention to the Turian after he had done so.

Kelly waited until the door had shut behind us before attempting to speak, "He-"

"No." I cut her off before she could start, "That rule remains in place. We will not discuss it further. We have time to run through your analysis before the others arrive."

There was a quiet sigh as I opened the conference room, stepping inside and hearing her follow. "His friendship with Garrus seems solid, two soldiers bonding over similar ideals. A good sign that our teams can successfully integrate and co-exist."

"Good." I replied, glad that she was discussing professional matters rather than personal ones that were none of her concern. "And the others?"

The psychologist took up a position against the wall, leaning backwards, her eyes going somewhat out of focus as she recalled data.

A short summary was that I had little to no room for complaint when it came to the relationships between my people and Shepard's. The ship's crew were, for the most part, former Alliance and supporters of the Spectre's warnings and motivation. How she, and similarly minded officers, had been treated by the politicians and Admiralty had created a groundswell of support that had been easy for Cerberus to tap into.

Her personal touch of conversing daily, or bi-daily, with nearly everyone on board also seemed to be a factor. It was an odd habit that I couldn't bring myself to replicate, I wasn't entirely sure where Shepard found the _time_ to spend on casual chatter as it was, but it seemed to be effective all the same. If she, or any of the others, had problems with my own people the fault was in the methods rather than the ideals that motivated them.

Individual aliens could, I supposed, be relied upon to not overly endanger humanity. Alien governments, on the other hand, could not... and that was a debate that Shepard seemed less and less eager to have.

Not that everything was friendship and roses, and the problem children were the same suspects as usual; Kean and his people. For my part, the mercenary and I had established a kind of unspoken detente. Despite the occasional reminder that he knew far more about me personally than I was comfortable with, I respected his authority and territory, and in return he respected my own. If anything he seemed to regard me as a fellow Warlord, a peer of sorts, and treated me as such.

He was still an acerbic ass, but he made far more of an effort to be polite with me than he did with Shepard.

Said Spectre's problem, according to Kelly, was her obsession with righting wrongs and her continuous focus on growing beyond her childhood. She evidently saw in Kean something of a similar journey, a similar life, except that he embraced what she had rejected. The result was an irritating up and down relationship, where her ability to tolerate and work with him was almost proportional to how recently she was reminded of his nature and the culture that he embodied. She had evidently gained enough of an understanding from conversations with T'Voth and Chambers to avoid any major clashes, but their working relationship was anything but stable.

The remainder of her people were more split. T'Soni and Korolev seemed to like Kean well enough on his own merits, but were less accepting of his subordinates and the others around him. Doctor Solus was wisely apolitical, never showing any issues with who he was working with, and Bourdin hadn't seemed to make up her mind one way or the other. Goto and Grunt, typically, seemed to entirely approve of the Blades for their own reasons, leaving them as a direct contrast with Vakarian who didn't make any secret of the fact that he couldn't stand the man or his people.

"I believe that how this campaign or engagement goes is going to determine our working relationship moving forwards." Kelly shook her head as she finished. "Success on the battlefield may not matter if our alliance falls apart, and even a partial failure could cause a total collapse. Shepard's need to save others at any cost isn't something that we can expect the Blades to accept, especially if it's _their_ lives in danger."

"Agreed." I murmured, considering the situation. Working with mercenaries was always difficult because their primary focus, understandably so, was on their own survival. Kean and Ul Massa had sufficient gravitas to overcome that tendency, but only partially... and generally only if their own affairs were endangered. "We'll have to be-"

"Miss Lawson," EDI interrupted me before I could finish saying that we would need to be careful, her orb appearing on the table before us in a shimmer of blue light. "Commander Shepard is approaching and Director Kean's shuttle has docked."

I nodded slightly, "Thank you EDI. Allow his pilot to visit the lounge while the meeting occurs."

"I believe that Miss T'Donna flew the shuttle," Came the instant reply, "And she and the others are already proceeding in the lounge's direction."

"The others? He brought his team?" A glance at Kelly saw her blink and shake her head, clearly not knowing why either. "Why?"

There was a pause, then the intelligence replied, "They are discussing plans for a card game organized by Miss Goto, and when Director Kean will be able to join them. I believe they intend to subvert the rules of the game rather extensively."

I exhaled, not surprised at all by the last. "EDI, why didn't you alert me as to Goto's game?"

"I have no information on the subject." She replied, sounding almost puzzled. "She may have communicated the planned time during her last visit to the _Reliant_. Should I inform the Director and his people that no such gambling event is to occur?"

"No..." I sighed, glancing over as Shepard walked into the room. "They're already here and I'd rather they be gambling and occupied instead of being bored in the hangar."

The Spectre pursed her lips, "Do I want to know?"

Kelly stirred, replying on my behalf, "Kasumi evidently heard about the card incident with Kenneth and invited Voya and the others back for another game."

"I knew she was too happy at breakfast." There was a groan and a hand rubbing over the pale skin of her face, "That also explains why she ran after Kara and Nikita when they finished eating... at least someone's morale is high, I guess."

Kelly smiled while I sighed again, making a mental note to send either her or myself down to the port-side observation lounge to make sure that the alcoholic intake was minimal and that no one who should be on duty was 'accidentally' dragged in by Goto.

Two minutes later Kean arrived, his armor providing an immediate contrast against the cloth uniforms that we women were wearing. At least he had forgone the coat and helmet, and the only weapon his belt was his over-sized cannon of a pistol. By the man's standards he was practically unarmed and defenseless, and I had a brief, irrational urge to find a way to bring him to the Citadel with us only to see if he was physically capable of going out in public without armored plating covering most of his body.

Then again... I doubted that I would be any different if I had lived on Omega for several years.

"Hephaestus." I greeted him, narrowing my eyes as I noticed the white smoke trailing from an object in his left hand, "Put that out."

"Frankenstein." He more or less sighed the name, extinguishing his pipe with every sign of real regret. "Shepard, Atefah."

Kelly sighed as the reminder of her old cover identity, while Shepard merely shook her head at our refusal to use each others actual names. I knew it was childish, but I refused to use his own until he stopped referring to me by that abominable nickname.

"What's on the agenda today?" Rather than actually move to stand at the table with Shepard and I, he shifted to stand beside the wall near my assistant and leaned against the bulkhead. "And when are you going to get chairs in here?"

"The political state of the Terminus and the Geth campaign." I replied, ignoring his second question as irrelevant. "Let us start with the latter."

He sighed, half-closing his eyes as he relaxed his stiff posture somewhat. "About as could be expected. The Geth let the first wave hit them with minimal opposition, then hit the second wave with a full counter-attack. Die Waffe rotated some his ships into those zones and kicked off the third wave early to try and take some of the pressure off. More Geth ships launched to try and blunt those moves, so there's currently contact along the entire Veil."

I couldn't help but grimace, trying not to imagine a galactic-battlefront that long. "Losses?"

"Surprisingly moderate, according to what I've heard." His left shoulder rolled in a polite shrug. "The Geth are keeping their main force back, consensus is that they're waiting for the Migrant Fleet to commit."

"And when," Shepard asked quietly, "Will that happen?"

"Fifteen Omega days, by the original schedule." He replied, "Which is already shot to shit, so who fucking knows. Target will be Haestrom."

The Spectre narrowed her eyes, "That's where Tali was hurt, wasn't it? Fighting that... Banshee, you called it?"

I might have missed it if not for the amount of time I'd spent around him, but I saw Kean's jaw clench slightly and the fingers of his left hand twitch sharply. "Yes. Let's hope there aren't any more of those fucks around."

"You've killed one before." Kelly reminded him, her voice shifting to her comforting-psychologist tones. "So did Miss Zorah. I'm sure with your experience and the Commander's team that-"

"We both killed one that was trying to capture us, not kill us. Fuck, I'm sure that mine didn't even seriously consider us a threat or else it would have flattened us right from the start. It wanted to play with its bloody food and that let me get lucky as shit." He cut her off irritably, "Athame's ass, from what Rael'zorah told Aria his daughter dropped a goddess-damned skyscraper on hers, and that just pissed the thing off."

Shepard crossed her arms, "What do you recommend if we _do_ run into another?"

"Run." Came the promptly reply. "And call down artillery, orbital fire, air strikes, whatever the fuck we have to do to glass the area around it."

She stared at him for a moment, then seemed to groan. "Please tell me that you don't have nuclear weapons."

"I don't have nuclear weapons." He replied, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was lying. He had probably gotten them from Lady T'Ravt in addition to the warships he was receiving as payment. Not that his heavy cruisers couldn't have done as much or more damage than more tactical bombs, but the stigma lingered, particularly amongst our own species.

"Do you believe," I interjected myself into the conversation, "That they would be vulnerable to airborne agents? You reported that it was still a living creature."

Another Asari shrug, "Let me know what happens when you try. I won't be anywhere nearby."

Grimacing, I shook my head at the unsurprising answer, "We'll setup another conference to discuss options should we encounter additional Leviathan forces, but for now let's return to the primary topics. Shepard, can you start on the politics?"

There was a sigh and a glance at Kean before she nodded. While I could have easily examined the information myself thanks to EDI, I had taken care to ask Shepard to analyze what the Broker was sending on the subject to make sure she felt involved, and so that she knew that I was going to rely on her and her people for more than mere combat.

"Aethyta's information is pretty solid on the coreward Terminus and the Traverse." She turned, then began pacing slowly as she relayed the information. "Right now the common warlords are still trying to figure out what the new rules of the game are and where they fit in. Everyone was sure that Aria would declare her own nation in response but the fact that she hasn't has them confused. Aethyta isn't sure why she hasn't either, Kean, you have any thoughts?"

He frowned, cocking his head a little to the left as he thought about it. "She could have made a nation-state at anytime in the last couple of centuries. Shit, from what scales relayed it sounded like the Meshinvi were pissed off that she didn't rebuild their Confederation back in the day. The fact that she didn't then, and hasn't even now, implies the she has a reason."

I nodded, "Any theories?"

"Lot of her current subordinates don't like the idea of organized government, maybe she's worried about losing them." He shrugged again. "Not exactly logical since she'd kill them before they could even think about deserting her, but that's all I've got. What's going on in the Traverse?"

Shepard shook her head, still moving left to right and then back again, "A few colonies near the Verge requested Alliance membership, and a few more sent messages to Horizon discussing the idea of creating some kind of pseudo-Republic of their own. The pirates migrating into the region are trying to use it as some kind of propaganda against Xentha, they want to encourage more movement."

The mercenary nodded, "T'Ravt will probably let them go, proof that she's 'cracking down' on pirates operating in her borders."

I snorted softly, "Not that she truly will be, but I suppose it would serve the goal of delaying Council action. Speaking of, do you see any chance that Jona Sederis abdicates in favor of her daughter?"

"Fifty-fifty." Pale green eyes flicked to me, "If she honestly thinks that it'll draw out negotiations she might. It would be symbolic though."

"Of course." I hadn't even considered that she would _actually_ relinquish power. "Shepard, if the Alliance is the swing-vote in Council recognition, or at least rescinding the moronic 'in rebellion' policy to let the member states negotiate on their own, which way will they vote?"

"I don't know." She replied honestly, "Udina hasn't revealed anything about his thoughts, and I think that Arcturus wants to punt the discussion until next year. There's a no confidence vote that Udina is expected to lose on the first, and Gray is rumored to be coming out of retirement to act as a temporary Councilor until the new government is elected in March."

I mulled over that, "None of them want to hurt their re-election odds by taking chances, so there won't be anything major coming out of the SA until then."

Which would leave the situation in the _status quo_ until March. At which time the new Human Councilor would be free to side with either the Turian-Elcor block or the Asari-Salarian block, for or against opening negotiations with any of the three Warlords who had requested it. Of course, that was assuming that Udina, or his temporary replacement, did not simply go rogue and vote before that time. They were entirely empowered to do so, which was what had gotten Udina in trouble to begin with, and if he knew his fate was written he would likely vote however he damn well pleased on the way out.

The next five months could see the entire galaxy walking on very thin ice, with the whims of Donnel Udina deciding whether it cracked beneath our feet.

Of course, that was assuming that the Salarians and Asari didn't elect to take unilateral action before any such vote. Theoretically they would be well within their rights to do so provided that the conflict didn't widen to involve other nations, and the two could assuredly cause significant military and economic damage to the, far smaller and more socially fragile, Terminus nations. And that was assuming that Harper or the war hawks didn't induce the Alliance into some form of stupidity, that the recovering Hegemony behaved itself, that Matriarch T'Ravt did not enact yet another covert ploy, that no one gave the Hanar fabricated evidence of a Prothean temple on Illium or some such nonsense...

"You all right Miranda?" Shepard asked when I lifted a hand to rub furiously at my face.

"The number of actors is beginning to annoy." I replied tiredly, "I don't see how we can make it to March before another significant crisis occurs."

The deep thrum of the alert klaxon cut off anything she could have said in reply, EDI's voice emanating from the room's speakers.

"Alerts received from Horizon, New Canton, and Ferris Fields. Relay activations of flotilla strength in the Iera and the Moyra systems. FTL wakes incoming towards Ferris Fields of similar recognition. Ninety-five percent chance of Collector or Geth forces moving against all three colonies."

Kean sighed, his shoulders slumping for once in a very Human display of exhaustion. "Seriously Frankenstein... I thought you'd know better than to taunt the bitch of a goddess like that. She always takes it as a challenge."

* * *

 _ _ **Silver Blades Communication Log 196-43C-A**__

 _ _Kean, Cieran: Give me the Fifth, Eighth, and the Sixteenth Xentha for Horizon. You'll take the rest to New Canton with the fleet.__

 _ _Ul Massa, Ayle: Are you sure about this? Leaving Ferris Fields to its fate is the right move but I don't like relying on two Ha'diq we barely know for Horizon.__

 _ _Kean, Cieran: I'm not sure, but we don't really have a choice. Ajin can get to Horizon in time, he can't get to New Canton.__

 _ _T'Voth, Joa: Athame's ass... dammit Cie, at least return to the Reliant and go to New Canton.__

 _ _Kean, Cieran: We don't have the time and you know it.__

 _ _Ul Massa, Ayle: He's right, we have to leave immediately if we are to have any chance of interception. Still... you know there will be problems with the Corsairs, and the colonists. Especially if Ajin or Veik decide to take tribute from the world to supplement their payment.__

 _ _Kean, Cieran: Yeah... At this point I would be more surprised if there weren't any problems. Take care of yourselves and keep me updated.__

* * *

 _ ** _Next up is Legend's War II_**_

 _ _Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.__

 _ _I'm expecting the battle of horizon to last for two to three chapters, with another pair of chapters as an aftermath. I am undecided about including a chapter on the New Canton engagement, so don't be surprised if one shows up or if it is only referenced in the pre and post chapter sections.__

 _ _Further warning, things have been relatively calm since the end of Einherjar... that's pretty much over and done with from this point on, up until the epilogues after Gotterdammerung.__

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 ** **Review Responses:****

 ** _Greater Good Ireland_** **;** replied in PM but figured I would also reply here.

It's almost entirely character perspective, with a side-effect of experience. MacKinnon, for example, left Alliance space during the very turbulent years immediately after the First Contact War and was never a fan of the government to begin with.

Could the Hegemony have invaded Earth? Likely not, no, their economy was barely stuttering along and their national focus was entirely on investing and preparing to colonize the Skyllian Verge. Could they have beaten the Alliance military of the time in a few pitched battles and forced the SA to stop moving into the Verge? More probable (provided the Council stayed out). In my head the SA went into the First Contact War in the same way a lot of nations went into World War 1. They had a whole bunch of shiny new military toys, heaps of courage, and nothing besides theory to which to apply anything... and most of those theories turned out to be wrong. The experience from the FCW, and military aid from the Republics, and eventually the Hierarchy, corrected a lot of that, but for a good ten or fifteen years the SA was on very shaky ground. In their own inept way, the Hegemony actually helped accelerate the process with their sponsoring of pirate and terror attacks, as that gave the SA a definite enemy to focus on, lead them to create the Corsairs, and pushed them into political reconciliation with the Turians.

The Terminus' perspective on the rest of the galaxy is generally pretty disdainful, except for their general fear of the Hierarchy, yeah. Most people in the Terminus don't understand, nor would they want to understand, the political realities that the Republics or Alliance have to face internally as well as abroad. All they see are a bunch of people that scream and rant about what the Terminus gets up to, yet rarely ever actually do anything about it.

In regards to the second part, you can consider this to be the deep breath before the plunge. The Leviathans and Matriarch are doing a /lot/ of preparations in the background that aren't generally apparent at the moment, and also remember that they are opposed to the Reapers. Someone else dying to take out the Geth and Collectors is a net set of gains for them and lets them occupy themselves elsewhere for a time.

The Geth are largely on the defensive at the moment, yes. They're entirely aware that the Terminus and Flotilla are coming for them and have been making their own plans as a result.

The Collectors paused their actions after they realized that Cieran and the ha'diq were trying to ambush them. That rather surprised them, they weren't seriously expecting resistance at this stage of their operations, and had to take some time to adjust their own plans as a result. You're one chapter in advance there, as they're actually the focus of the next Operation.


	23. Operation: Legend's War II

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Legend's War**

* * *

 _ **AIS Priority Channel**_

 _\- FLASH ALERT -_

 _THIRD FLOTILLA HAS ISSUED AN EMERGENCY ATTACK WARNING_

 _HORIZON COLONY UNDER GETH ASSAULT_

 _GETH ACCOMPANIED BY UNKNOWN ALIEN FORCES_

 _CL-44 ZAGREB DESTROYED_

 _REAR ADMIRAL SHANG PRESUMED KIA_

 _LAST TRANSMISSION HAD THIRD FLOTILLA WITHDRAWING TO OUTER SYSTEM_

 _\- FLASH ALERT -_

 _BY ORDER OF ADMIRAL MANNFELD, C-AIS, FIRST, FOURTH, FIFTH FLOTILLAS TO PROCEED TO IERA SYSTEM IMMEADIATELY VIA EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS._

 _\- FLASH ALERT -_

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 **Date** : 11-14-2187  
 **Location** : New Progress, Horizon, Iera System, Attican Traverse

* * *

The worst thing about the colonists on Horizon was the way they died; in silent, wide-eyed agony.

I swore as I dove past another person who'd taken shots aimed more or less in my direction, tried not to notice the blood that sprayed from the otherwise motionless being, and slid to a stop inside of a prefab house's doorway. "Three, high left."

"Two." Shyeel corrected from across the street, her Kishok letting out a sharp _crack_ as she cut loose with a fully charged round. "Athame's... another bug coming in!"

Swearing an oath of my own, I slapped the charge button on my own rifle, flash-forging a heavy round as I risked a single glance around the corner. Two stock Geth platforms were mounted right where I'd last seen them, on top of a stone built house at the end of the street, but coming in fast above them was the winged form of a Collector. It fired while still airborne, golden streaks screaming past me and towards where Voya and Illyan were lurking to provide covering fire.

Voya let out hiss of frustration, she must have taken a few glancing hits that had thrown off her aim because her return fire only clipped its left wing. They seemed to be the only unarmored part of the aliens, but unless you got a hit right near the joint or shredded them entirely it didn't seem to inconvenience them. This one landed hard next to its machine lackeys, took notice of me, and rapidly shifted its aim.

I gently pulled the trigger as soon as soon as I saw it begin to turn, momentarily motionless. A heavy spike screamed out from the barrel and hit it center mass with enough power to punch through Krogan battle armor... but all it did to the Collector was shatter its barrier and knock it back on its heels, as well as drawing an eerie, almost echoing scream of anger from it in response.

Thankfully Voya had time to settle her aim, her lighter weapon putting a round through the bug's top left eye at roughly the same time as Shyeel smacked down one of the remaining Geth. The last Geth, repeating an all-too-common pattern, turned and beat a hasty retreat before Illyan could do more than send a few futile bursts after it.

"Sitrep." I called into the tense silence, none of us moving out from our cover just yet. "Voya?"

" _Three new holes in my coat_." She growled back, our helmet comms perfectly transmitting her irritation. Collector weaponry had proven to be as nasty as we'd feared, having little issues tearing through even our double-layered shields with just a handful of rounds. Our armor and technical plating was holding up better, against the light stuff at least, but none of us were confident we'd survive a direct hit from any heavier toys that they might have. " _Not seeing any hoppers."_

"Shyeel." Her helmet shifted in a quick nod, her rifle collapsing as she swapped it for her heavy pistol. A few breaths later she flickered out of sight, moving on ahead to confirm that there wasn't another attempt to ambush us. Our habitual paranoia had us moving a bit slowly, but we'd avoided two ambushes so far, and none of us had been injured.

"Shep, Kean." I continued, ducking back entirely into cover and ignoring the frozen woman and her cup of coffee sitting just inside. "We hit another patrol on fifth avenue. Cleared it, no casualties."

" _Confirmed."_ She replied, " _We just cleared a pack of husks on ninth, still no major resistance. Time to the militia compound?"_

I did some mental math with the help of my graybox, plotting out a map of the city. It had expanded somewhat since we'd last been here, with the residential neighborhoods actually growing over top of the bunkers that we had helped to build. The main base itself lay farther ahead but one of the secondary bolt holes was, theoretically, not that far ahead. "Five minutes."

" _Confirmed."_ The Spectre repeated, " _Update on arrival_."

I clicked my mic once in reply, then heard a second identical sound across my team's channel as Shyeel indicated that it was clear to advance. "Illyan, cover. Voya rear."

Two more clicks indicated their assent, the four of us forming up and moving out with Shyeel in front, Voya at the rear, and Illyan and I in between as we proceeded single-file down the street, ducking in and around buildings where we could to avoid being out in the open for any significant length of time.

We had arrived at Horizon a mere two hours after the initial warning to find a Geth fleet already in firm control of the planet's orbital zone, with nearly three dozen ships along with a trio of rock-like Collector vessels present. What was left of the local Corsair flotilla had moved deeper in system and was currently playing cat and mouse with several Geth ships around a hot-giant near the sun, with Joker and the _Normandy II_ rushing in their direction to assist.

More concerning, at least to Shepard, was the fact that four Collector ships were already on the surface, each near a major city, and were likely engaged in 'collecting' by the time we arrived. While I had wanted to wait the additional ninety minutes before _Ha'diq_ Ajin and his heavy fleet could arrive, the Spectre had convinced Miranda that we couldn't afford to wait that long. _Ha'diq_ Veik had, sensibly, refused to commit given his slim numerical advantage and technological disadvantage, so while he and my transports were waiting for support, our four little teams were attempting to infiltrate the capital city's military base in order to bring the city's GTS defenses back online.

The actual plan was simple. My team was to locate one of the various back doors into the complex, using our relative familiarity with the place to move as quickly and quietly as we could. Shepard and Vakarian, the latter having exchanged Mordin for Taylor, would be on distraction detail and driving right for the main gates. Miranda, bolstered by the good Salarian Doctor, would be trailing in reserve and analyzing every bit of data they could find.

If the plan had a problem it was that the Collectors didn't seem to _care_ that we were fucking here. Most of them seemed content to continue gathering colonists right up until we started shooting... though the same couldn't be said of the Geth.

Ahead, Shyeel abruptly froze and dropped into a crouch, her left hand rising into a fist. She kept her helmet just at the edge of the alley that we were in before move slowly back and turning, setting her pistol on her right leg, freeing her hands up to flick her fingers up through the staccato sequence of Khellish sign language. _Six Geth, one is a Hunter. No bugs. Thirty meters._

Grimacing I very carefully set my rifle aside so that I could reply, _What are they doing?_

 _Guarding our target._ Came her response. _Outside apartment, corner of Fourth and Nova._

The basement of which theoretically held the stairwell down to our objective... while the building itself would probably be holding a goddess damned swarm of Geth ready to engage us. The machines seemed to have a propensity for ambushes, utilizing their ability to remain entirely motionless and inactive plus the speed of the Hoppers and the cloaking capabilities of the Hunters to enact attacks clearly intended to be sudden and overwhelming.

 _Voya, Shyeel, cloak and across._ I signed, nodding towards a restaurant across the street. _Thirty seconds._

Both women nodded, then flickered out of sight. So far it seemed that the Geth couldn't see through the active systems, but I knew that they both moved slowly and carefully to make sure that they didn't risk even a small disruption. In the half-minute that we had while they got across the street and setup, Illyan and I swapped positions; the tall Asari hefting up her light machine gun while I had my tech launcher prime an overload pattern.

Shyeel opened the fight, her rifle thundering out a fully-charged harpoon to put down the Hunter before it could cloak and cause us problems in turn. Illyan leaned around the corner and cut loose at full auto, the secondary barrel spitting out three overloads to accompany the torrent. Exhaling sharply, I took a step forwards and then two to my left, using my companion to cover myself even as I triggered my launcher, leaning around her to send out three mines in as many seconds to join the deluge.

Between the gunfire, the six overloads, and then Voya joining in with her lighter rifle, the Geth went down in a matter of moments.

Unfortunately my pessimism proved to be as accurate as ever, because the distinctive cracking whine of Geth weaponry promptly filled the air as Geth platforms hidden in the apartment building blew out the windows and opened fire.

Illyan swore as her shields collapsed, ducking back and letting me take her place. Setting my rifle to the lowest, fastest charge, I returned fire as best I could. "Shit. Frankenstein! We're going to need you!"

" _Sitrep._ " Came the prompt, if slightly annoyed, reply. " _We're en route."_

"At least a full hex." I replied, grimacing as a flicker flew across the street, the hopper latching onto a building on my side before Voya brought it down. Unfortunately a second had evidently been waiting for her to reveal her position, because she let out a yelp of surprise when a lance of plasma struck her shoulder, shattering the gleaming blue panel there, the blow driving her back into the alley.

"Hoppers, Hunters, Standards." I continued, thumb smacking the control lever on my custom weapon to reset it to full charge. My overpowered shard missed the damnably fast little shit, blowing a crater out of a storefront, but Shyeel's caught it just as it landed in the street. "Goddess alone knows what else is inside."

" _Will come up on your right via seventh to flank them. Hold until arrival."_

"Not a problem." I muttered as she cut the line, ducking back as the standard platforms focused their fire in my direction. "I really hate fighting fucking Geth, fuckers never miss."

"Who do you like fighting?" Illyan asked, brusquely elbowing me to swap positions with her.

"Vorcha." I supplied promptly, moving back as she took her place, her Spitfire thundering again. "Easy to kill, no understanding of tactics. Easy on the mines, we've only got two boxes for you."

She grunted in between bursts, "Could see that, and I know... shit, four just broke across the street, think they're moving to flank."

"I have them." Collapsing my rifle, I returned it to my back and drew my hand cannon before quickly moving back the way we'd come. Reaching the end of the small alley, I indulged the benefits of being a paranoid lunatic.

Geth were quick but not so fast that I didn't have the time to yank a small disc from a satchel strapped to my left thigh, my omni-tool linking to the Xenthan built mine as I set it. A quick toss saw it clatter to a stop in the street, then its outer surface flickered to match the road's surface. Backing away quickly, I kept my omni-tool open to prepare another set of overloads and then settled into a low crouch a meter behind Illyan's ass to wait.

Behind me, my rear camera provided the image of my _Harath'krem_ keeping up her steady fire. One of the many problems with fighting Geth was that they didn't care about things like suppressing fire, so she actually had to take the time to aim her shots and make them count. From her low curses, matched by Voya and Shyee's over comms, the fight wasn't progressing very well for us.

My focus returned to my own part of the engagement when there was a quiet clicking sound ahead of me, the mine reacting to vibrations in the ground. It detonated twice, first ejecting two overload technicals straight up to explode in flashes of blue light that ripped at the two Geth Hunters that flickered into sight. A few milliseconds later the actual mine itself bounded upwards to explode at roughly chest height.

The closer of the large Geth went down more or less instantly, its torso blown apart by the heavy fragments, and the second collapsed to a knee, the other's myomer and servos too badly damaged to support it. Two rounds from my hand cannon put it down for good, cutting the number of probable attackers by at least half.

Trusting that the three of them could hold their own, I kicked off from my ready stance and moved forwards in a relaxed lope, one hand keeping my gun up while the other had my omni-tool ready to go.

Geth number three appeared around the corner, its armor plating mostly shattered, its rifle held awkwardly in its one remaining arm. I opened fire the moment I saw it, firing in a slow but steady rhythm to keep the weapon's heat low as I continued to advance. The battered machine managed a single burst in response, its frustratingly advanced weapon taking out a good percentage of my barriers before it fell.

Slowing as I reached the end, I risked a glance around the corner and all but fell backwards as a beam of green-black light nearly took my head off. It _did_ burn its way entirely through the wall of the building on my right, and I promptly scuttled backwards before the shooter could simply punch through my cover just as easily.

"Collector!" I snarled, "Biotic!"

"Imminent." Shyeel shouted in reply, a burst of blue light appearing above Illyan as she simply flash-stepped above the taller Asari and hit the ground in a roll. "Call it!"

"Level, right." Changing omni-tool programs, I hesitated for the few breaths it took her to approach, then stabbed a finger down to activate the rigged up nullifier in my back plate. Then... it was time to do the stupid thing yet again.

Charging out of the cover, I abused my long legs to accelerate to a full sprint even as the Collector stepped out from behind a parked aircar, seemingly ready to accept my idiotic charge. Unlike the few others we'd encountered, this one was dressed in heavy robes of some kind, complete with an ornate hood around its insectoid head, though that was secondary to the glowing hand it pointed in my direction.

My left hand swiped along my belt, hurling a nullification grenade at it, but the bug swiped its own limb instantly, a green flash heralding the grenade abruptly being flung to detonate somewhere behind me. Returning fire with my hand cannon merely made sparks flash from its barriers, then I was sprinting headlong into a torrent of green fire.

The one-shot system hooked into my armor dispersed the power somewhat, but the heat and energy was more than enough to further rip at my barriers, shatter more than a couple of my omni-plates, and to scorch my armor. "Shyeel!?"

Her Kishok thundered in response, the deluge of warpfire abruptly cutting off as the Collector reeled backwards, some kind of fluid leaking copiously from its right side. Not trusting myself to shoot accurately on the move, I skidded to a stop, firing and triggering an overload at more or less the same time.

The overload did its job, disrupting its attempt to reform its barriers, while my oversized pistol punched two new holes in its chest... which I thought would have been enough to kill the fucking thing, but it only seemed to get pissed the fuck off at us. A flash of nauseatingly green light heralded something massive flying in my direction, and it was only after I threw myself aside that I realized that the bug had just thrown the goddess-damned _car_ at me.

Not all that quickly, and it hadn't really gotten any elevation, but fucking _still._

Shyeel's second shot put the creature down permanently, the effects of its exertion evidently enough to leave it motionless and an easy target. "Cie! You alive!?"

"Yeah." I groaned in reply, heaving myself to my feet... and then doing so with alacrity when I caught sight of motion down the street. "Shit, more!"

More Geth rounds chased me back to the alley, several puncturing my failing shields to smack into my coat and armor. Shyeel covered me as best as her heavy weapon allowed, putting down at least one platform before hauling me into cover behind her.

" _Engaging._ " The sound of Lawson's accent was more than slightly welcoming, though not nearly as much as a rush of harsh cracks as Cerberus built Harriers opened fire somewhere nearby. Shyeel quickly charged her oversized sniper rifle and rejoined the engagement, a pleased grunt indicating she had dropped another.

For my part I simply leaned against the wall and tried to catch my breath and take stock of myself. My blue and silver armor was now mostly a lovely shade of scorched-black, as was my coat. The heavily armored weave had mostly held, aside from a few punctures on my back that the actual plating below beneath had held off, but my HUD was updating with warnings about the possibility of stress failures. And I'd used up my one-shot anti-biotic protection, and my mine-trap, and one of my three nullification grenades.

Even better, three of the omni-panels on my left side were definitely out, the emitters too scorched to function... always my fucking _left_.

"Voya, Illyan." I exhaled sharply, keeping my pistol in my hand. "Status?"

" _Four down, too many remaining."_ My Quarian lover reported, her displeasure at the gunnery duel clear in her tones. " _They have us sighted, we can barely do anything before they drop our shields."_

"Keep them occupied, we'll up to the next gap and try and take some pressure off while Cerberus flanks." I ordered, pushing myself back into motion.

There was an annoyed growl, accompanied by mutters about us taking the better job, but she clicked her mic once to indicate that she'd do it all the same. Smiling a little, I moved up behind Shyeel as she likewise got into motion.

I could see Lawson, EDI, and Solus farther down the street, the trio vanishing down a side-street as they took care of their part of the plan. Shyeel and I didn't bother to go nearly that far, instead simply taking the first cut-through that we found and heading back to the fight. A biotic blur heralded her repeating the earlier strategy, the Asari re-appearing on the far side of the main road while I got myself setup on this side.

From our perspective, the remainder of the skirmish was rather droll. The four of us alternated firing at the Geth lurking in the building, the Geth retaliated, and both sides ducked back whenever our shields were breached... which was all too often on our end.

Lawson's involvement was rather more incendiary, a flare of yellow light the only warning before someone's missile launcher blew out most of the building's second floor. They followed that up with streaks of blue-white light, the Operative's biotics hammering at anything that moved while Solus provided covering fire with his submachine-gun.

Illyan took point for our own fire-and-advance pattern, her Spitfire thundering out bursts as she moved past me to take cover behind another parked vehicle, though she continued to refrain from firing out any tech-mine barrages from the secondary barrel. That being said, the armor piercing rounds coming out the machine-gun were more than enough to put down two Platforms that had fallen into the street, and to smack down a drone even as it tried to streak out of a third story window.

Once she was in place to cover us, Voya and I both moved up, pistols rather than rifles drawn as we made for the building. What few Geth remained seemed entirely focused on Lawson's team, and we reached the doorway without even drawing desultory fire. Ground level held only the wrecks of those platforms that had been destroyed earlier in the fighting, so we made for the stairwell.

We both fired overloads into the room before actually entering, and then flinched back as the technical mines detonated at least three more conventional explosives and sent one of the little hovering fucks to smash into the floor. Another two came flitting out a breath later only to meet the same fate as we both threw out another set of the mines, electrical arcs ripping at and disabling them.

Voya took the lead by dint of having the far less battered set of armor, the pair of us cautiously moving up the stairs to the second floor. Much to her frustration we arrived just as the gunfire began to tail off, the disaster area that was the upper level littered with debris and broken platforms. The exterior may have been finished but the interior had evidently still been under construction, denying the Geth much cover once we'd started blasting holes in the outer walls.

"Everyone move in." I gave the gaping hole in the wall where the missile had struck a very long look before heading back for the stairs, only half-listening as Voya shot any platforms still sparking. "Let's find the tunnel and get this over with. Shepard? We've cleared the target building, looking for the route into the tunnel system now."

" _Confirmed."_ Her words were half-swallowed up by the roar of gunfire, and something exploding in the background, " _We definitely have their attention, still more Geth than Collectors."_

"Same." I replied as I took the stairs as quickly as I could, passing the ground level and slowing up as I descended into the basement. "Watch out for the biotics, one of them threw a car at me."

She replied with a low curse in what I thought was Spanish, " _You kill it?"_

"Barriers weren't the best compared to an Asari, but it had plenty of raw offensive power." I reported, narrowing my eyes as the empty basement came fully into view. It had evidently been being used as storage, though the Geth had pushed the various boxes and crates aside when they'd emerged from the armored door set into the far wall. Said doorway was currently closed, and there were no obvious enemies in sight, which did absolutely nothing to my sense of paranoia. "Have the hatchway... going to need a minute to confirm access."

" _Report back when you're moving in."_

I clicked my mic before switching back to the local channel. "Found the door, closed. Going to need that drone EDI."

" _En route."_ The AI replied, her feminine voice polite.

Voya appeared on my rear cameras as I signed off, her movements as cautious as my own as we moved the rest of the way down. I cycled my HUD through numerous vision modes to check for any obvious traps and came up with nothing, and our cautious perusal of the various storage items didn't reveal anything more threatening than electrical components, plumbing materials, counter-tops, and the other kinds of crap you'd need to finish building a home.

"Too easy." She muttered as I finished, her hands on her hips as she stared at the closed door. "They had time to put mines in the stairwell, why nothing down here?"

"Optimistically... they only showed up just before we got here." I replied, "Pessimistically... let's get det charges on this thing."

My lover let out a mewling grunt, her hands already reaching for the small pack behind her. By the time the others had all arrived we'd gotten six into place, setting them directionally on either side of the slab of metal in a fashion that would see it fall towards us rather than trying to blast the entire thing into the tunnel. That way if there _was_ explosives on the other side waiting for us, this _might_ not set them off and thus _might_ not collapse the tunnel.

Everyone retreated up the stairs before Voya thumbed her omni-tool, the detonation sounding as a dull _whump_. When the building didn't explode around us, EDI activated her small omni-drone, the blue orb smoothly flitting down the stairs, her omni-tool projecting the view for the rest of us.

"Ah." I grimaced as the tunnel came into view, Human beings stacked like logs all along the left side. Some had the look of construction workers, probably the men and women who'd been within this building when the attack occurred, but most were in the casual clothing of citizens. "That would be why they didn't trap it, they're using the tunnels to move people from the city to the base."

"Agreed." Lawson murmured, her head shaking. "It is likely easier to transfer them to the ship from there rather than trying to land cargo shuttles across the city... they are probably using the main spaceport in a similar fashion."

I grunted, motioning for everyone to head down the stairs. "Probably. Solus? You think your armor mods will cover us in that tight of quarters?"

The old Salarian hummed as we got moving, "Likely dependent on swarm levels."

"I'll take point." Miranda spoke before I could ask her to, "I'll put up a barrier if needed, but I'll need someone to cover me."

"Voya." I nodded to her, stepping aside to let the two women shift out front, Voya reaching behind her waist to pull her little-used Tempest out. I took a quick moment to alert Shepard that we were heading in, and the Spectre confirmed that her and Vakarian's teams would be breaking contact and heading our way as quickly as they could.

There was just barely enough room with the motionless colonists to move two abreast, EDI maintaining her drone far ahead to let us move with a reasonable bit of confidence. It ran straight for about a hundred meters, where we hit a stairwell that brought us down a level or two before the tunnel turned sharply to the west. There weren't any colonists on the lower section, but there was enough evidence to indicate that they'd once been stacked up here as well. Torn pieces of clothing, items that might have been held in hands, and stains indicating that bodily functions weren't inhibited by the stasis field.

We accelerated to a light jog once the drone found the doorway leading into the militia complex proper, EDI recalling it once we reached its location.

"Clear." Lawson reported as she slowed, her rifle up and ready as she and Voya checked the hall. "Nearest control panel?"

Half-closing my eyes, I abused my gray-box to bring up the map inside my head. Tunnel seven deposited us on the secondary run, a long hallway that connected the western barracks complex to the bunkers on the city's western edge. We needed a location where EDI could link into the local network which was also defensible... which meant the main control center.

"Right, first left." I exhaled heavily, "CIC should be right there."

She nodded, setting off in a shuffle-footed lope that kept her weapon perfectly level while allowing her to move with some speed. Voya quickly followed, EDI and I behind them in turn, then came Illyan escorting Mordin, while Shyeel took the rear-guard position.

We made it the fifty meters through the empty tunnel before Lawson held up a fist and slowed just before we reached the intersection, everyone following her lead. The moment our footfalls and clattering equipment wasn't filling my ears I could hear what had caught her attention, heavy sounds of movement along with a low buzzing that was growing steadily louder.

Voya didn't need any instruction, simply dropping her submachine-gun in favor of pulling a pair of grenades from her belt. Flicking the tops of the canisters to set them for remote detonation and to activate their magnetic strips, she tossed one onto each wall, then retrieved her weapon before backpedaling with the rest of us, the front four forming a rough firing line while the others lingered behind.

"Everyone switch to on board air." Voya murmured as the sound continued to rise. "Cie?"

"I've got another." I replied quietly, settling onto one knee, my left hand setting a grenade beside it on the floor while my right kept my pistol up, thumb flicking the controls to prep a concussive round.

A swarm of Seekers came hurtling around the corner, the cybernetic insects glinting in the dim lighting, the blue eezo combining with their bronze forms to create a nauseating mixture of colors. Voya didn't bother to wait, detonating her grenades the moment the boiling wall of creatures made the turn and began screaming towards us.

Fire exploded outwards as the napalm bombs went off, the entire front section of the horde immolating more or less instantly as the weapons did their work. The rush of heat and air drew in more of the creatures before they could even attempt to avoid it, the fire singing away their wings to send them plummeting into the simmering jelly now coating the floor.

I waited a few heartbeats, then tossed my first grenade, a conventional frag model that exploded farther down the hall, hopefully putting a dent in the swarm. Voya and EDI both echoed the movement, more explosions occurring as they threw their own grenades, the detonations being followed by sparking electricity as the base came apart to release wiring and lights.

For her part, Miranda lifted a hand, a shimmering wall of biotic energy snapping into place as the last, still considerable bit of the swarm belatedly smacked into it, angrily buzzing as they tried to get to us. Letting out a grunt of effort, she slowly began to angle her hand downwards, her wall moving in time with the motion, pushing the surviving Seekers into the wall of heat.

That would have been that if it hadn't been for the Collectors following up on the attack, their bodies obscured by Miranda's power, the heat waves, fire, and all of the dust and debris coming down from the shattered walls and ceiling.

The second wave was a rush of husks, of the traditional Reaper variety. I fired my ready concussive round on reflex when the first cybernetic zombie simply _vaulted_ the goddess-damned napalm, uncaring about the heat twisting and melting its skin as it did. The impact halted its momentum, causing the following creature to slam into its back, the pair writhing as they dropped into the flames.

Of course, I'd have been far happier if that had actually _killed_ the fucks. Instead now we had two husks that were _on fire_ scrambling upright and clearly still intent on murdering us. EDI put them down permanently with sharp bursts from her Harrier just in time for four more to come leaping through. I caught one in the neck with my cannon, and Voya dropped one with a tight set of shots through its skull, but Miranda was evidently still recovering from the precise biotic control she'd used to deal with the Seekers.

One of the two slammed a fist into her chest, driving her back with an explosive grunt, then wound up, clearing intending to backhand her across the helmet. Voya shifted before it could deliver the blow, her powerful leg slamming into its gut to drive it back a step, her gun hammering out a long burst into its chest. The final husk tried a similar maneuver against the AI, only for her to side-step it, lower her shoulder, and then drive it against the wall hard enough to break more than a few of its ribs before executing it.

Unfortunately that only left me in position when the Collectors themselves arrived. There was only two of them, they'd probably anticipated that their swarm would incapacitate us, and had likely only come with to supervise the husks hauling us away. Still, considering the situation, two was close to enough.

I reeled back as golden darts slammed into my shields, tearing them down across a long breath before hammering at my tech plates. I kept enough presence of mind to turn, keeping my better protected right side in the line of fire as I retaliated. The heavy shots didn't seem to bother the insect, but that changed when Illyan kicked me in the small of the back, sending me prone and clearing her line of sight.

Her Spitfire was deafening in the small space, orange streaks accompanying the tracer rounds as she triggered technical mines from the secondary barrel. The Collector reeled under the barrage, EDI's weapon joining it the moment after resulted in the creature stumbling backwards before collapsing entirely.

I was trying to get back upright when a golden beam screamed over my head, Illyan letting out a shriek of pain as the particle rifle struck her. Ceasing my efforts to rise, I simply opened fire from my spot on the floor, everyone else joining me as the Collector tried to duck back around the corner.

The barrage caught its weapon, flinging the heavy thing aside, and I thought I saw a hand go flying, but the creature itself manage to survive. At least for the few seconds it took Shyeel to flash-step across the flames, her Kishok tumbling to the floor as she drew her sword. There was a brief burst of blue light as she pushed biotic power through the eezo lattice worked into the blade, her lithe form surging out of sight.

Then an insectoid head bounced into view, heralding the end of the engagement.

Grimacing, I rose as quickly as I could, turning to get a proper look behind me. Illyan was slumped against the right-hand wall, but even as I watched she slammed a fist into the metal, gasping oaths accompanying each breath as Mordin grasped her shoulder and pushed her down towards the ground.

"Indirect blow, lethality unlikely." He reported, his hands yanking away the torn coat. "Armor partially held... bone compromised, will need a litter."

It had hit her in the left leg, burning through her shields, coat, omni-plate, emergency shields, and then armor in turn. The various protections had evidently held the few critical heartbeats she'd need to start to dodge, but that merely meant that instead of not _having_ a leg, she a massive gaping, bleeding gouge in her leg. It started shallowly near the center of her thigh, the deepened considerably as it moved towards the edge, resembling some kind of demented shark bite more than anything else.

"Right." I shook my head furiously, looking away from the torn flesh and heavy bleeding as Mordin quickly began to apply a tourniquet. "Frankenstein, we need that napalm pushed away. Shyeel, scout ahead to the control center, shouldn't be more than ten meters down the hall, should have a triage kit."

Miranda shifted a little, then exhaled and nodded. A gesture reformed her little wall, and she used it to steadily begin pushing the simmering jelly down the hall. It flared up into little flames as it moved over the carpet of burned Seekers on the floor, but by and large it seemed to have already consumed whatever parts of their bodies was flammable.

For her part EDI moved back and began to assist Solus without being asked, leaving Voya and I on watch.

"What's the new plan?" She asked after a few minutes, her voice low and quiet.

"Same." I replied just as softly. "Get to the CIC, fort up. We can't exactly extract, so we have to hold."

"No pressure then." Came the responding mutter. "Damned _kolsha_ had better not die from that."

Despite the situation, my lips twitched a little. "You're the only one allowed to kill her?"

Her helmet's chin lifted as she let out a superior little sniff. "Precisely."

The brief moment of strained levity faded as Miranda finished her work, and Shyeel returned to report that the command center still had several beings stuck inside, but no enemies had evidently shown up to collect them yet. More importantly she'd been able to find and raid the triage kit, and between EDI and I we managed to get Illyan onto an extendable stretcher with a minimal amount of cursing on her part.

Though that was probably more from the drugs Mordin had already shot her up with than with any gentleness on our part.

Getting her to the command center was difficult, she was anything but light and the Doctor kept working on her even as we moved. As I was occupied helping EDI move her, Miranda felt comfortable taking charge as we arrived.

"Back left corner." She instructed as we arrived, "It has the most cover. EDI, once she is secure I need you linking with the local systems and finding the GTS controls. Miss T'Voth, Miss Chi, please secure the western doorways with whatever traps and mines you have remaining. Hephaestus, please take up a sentry post at the eastern door. I will join you once I have reported to Shepard."

Both of my friends glanced at me, then got moving when I gave them a somewhat impatient nod. Maneuvering the stretcher around the packed room quickly occupied my full attention, and I almost tripped over someone's bloody helmet as we moved around a woman frozen in the act of drawing her weapon, two Seekers still firmly perched on her to maintain the effect.

I irritably kicked the headgear into her shins, blinked, and then did a double-take to find myself staring at Ashley Williams. Not far behind her was a titanic form that could only be James Vega, the soldier looming over a pair of smaller men standing the primary holographic display. One was General Ozawa, the old man in a light suit of tan armor, his expression locked into one of surprise and confusion.

Beside him, his bland, Latin features placed aside from a slight narrowing of his eyes, was the Butcher of Torfan.

A quick glance around the room revealed four more Corsairs stuck near the edges, and though the armor made it hard to tell, I was reasonably certain that it was the same four bodyguards that the man had brought with to Ferris Fields.

"Athame's ass..." I sighed as EDI and I lowered Illyan into her corner, Mordin kneeling automatically with the motion, seemingly oblivious to the outside world as his hands rummaged through his bag to draw out more medical equipment. "I knew this was going to be a fucking pain in the ass... Frankenstein, might want to tell Shepard her friends are here."

Miranda turned from where she was already inspecting a console to frown at me, then followed my gesture to see the figures in question. While her cursing was a bit more prim than mine, I thought it no less genuine.

* * *

 _ **Silver Blades Communications Log 197-01-A**_

 _T'Laria, Trena: This isn't the bloody time to be talking about this kind of crap._

 _T'Laria, Musio: You know as well as anyone that you can do nothing about the battles your corporation is now involved in, and you cannot tell me that this is not important as well._

 _T'Laria, Trena: ...I fucking hate you._

 _T'Laria, Musio: Athame's ass, I am quite aware of your goddess-damned opinions. Now, have you settled upon a name?_

 _T'Laria, Trena: *disgusted sound* Nightblades._

 _T'Laria, Musio: Hm. A combination of your corporate monicker, and the tittle of Night Whisperers... I approve._

 _T'Laria, Trena: I'm sure the ape will be thrilled to hear that you fucking approve. I've got forty volunteers for the first class, we're going to be housing them at the old Shaaryak mansion. Which bitchy cousin are you sending?_

 _T'Laria, Musio: Straza is available, and you were rather fond of 'your bitchy cousin' if my memory serves._

 _T'Laria, Trena: Straza's a fucking maiden!_

 _T'Laria, Musio: She is adept at the art and already has a dozen kills to her name._

 _T'Laria, Trena: Fucking... shit. Fine, whatever. I want her over as soon as possible so we can get this tides-be-damned crap done with._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Legend's War III**_

 _Yeah... so that was a long delay by my standards. Don't really have any excuses to offer, just couldn't get into a writing rhythm._

 _Good news is that it's finally done, I managed to take the time to reshuffle my outline a little into something that Blocked and I consider superior to the old plan. The main change is that the next two operations will be swapping places, and things had to be adjust for the fact that I'm going back to one POV per chapter._

 _Right now the remainder of the operation will be almost entirely Cieran, excepting a single chapter from Shepard's point of view._

 _The interludes' povs following this act will be: The Masquerade, Stoic Faith, Caged Princess, and Ragged Ice._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 _ _ **Story Recs**__

 _For those interested, Tusken1602 and I are doing another crossover between our verses. This one is name Herald's Arrival and can be found under his profile (he is doing the core writing, I am editing). The plot is the inverse of our last effort, with his primary OC being placed into the AR verse._

 _Other general shout-outs go to Living An Indoctrinated Dream by Aberron, The Old Ways; Extra by Vo0D0o-DOL, The Corsair Saga I: The Steward by twentyitalians, and_ _Outlander by GreaterGoodIreland._

* * *

 ** **Review Responses:****

rfpizzle → The very first chapter was entirely Miranda, but I think that was it. Right now she has one more planned, that's probably going to become two.

Seabo76 → One act too early.

Tusken1602 → The Volus are a bit divided, none of them are happy about being the Turian's vassals, but they have wildly different opinions on how to get out of that position. The Hanar are, more or less, a closed society. Their only real concern is their faith, and their intelligence network is almost entirely absorbed in trying to find and then steal prothean tech that the other races have hidden away. Going to remain quiet on TIM's goals for now.


	24. Operation: Legend's War III

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Legend's War**

* * *

 _ **Eclipse Log File: Solar Eclipse Communications**_

 _Sederis, Leska: I grow increasingly weary of being volunteered to liaise with our Quarian 'allies', Heinrich._

 _Bauer, Heinrich: Would you rather I task Oran with such things?_

 _Sederis, Leska: I am becoming tempted. Zorah and Gerral are quickly turning insufferable, and seeing her put them in their place would certainly brighten up this campaign._

 _Bauer, Heinrich: Perhaps. What is the status of zones two and three?_

 _Sederis, Leska: The lessers assigned to three were able to rally and deal with the Geth raiding flotillas, as well as with the cruiser group that attempted to blockade Relay Four-Twenty._

 _Bauer, Heinrich: Zehr guht. Zone two?_

 _Sederis, Leska: I have dispatched the Howl of Sirius and its attendant battle-group to deal with the issues above Rethune, and am moving my personal armada to support them should the primary Geth fleet move to respond._

 _Bauer, Heinrich: Very well. Oran is still reporting heavy resistance across her zones, what do you have from the Migrants?_

 _Sederis, Leska: They continue to howl about missed deadlines, yet entirely refuse to advance upon Haestrom until we secure the outer reaches._

 _Bauer, Heinrich: I am unsurprised, they have always been cowardly little schwein when called upon to risk their own necks. Once the Veil is secured I will move my primary fleets to... motivate them._

 _Sederis, Leska: If you could impress their place upon them as well, I would be most grateful._

 _Bauer, Heinrich: You are not the only one becoming impatient, I believe that Aria intends to remind them of their position sooner rather than later._

 _Sederis, Leska: Do call me after such a meeting, I would enjoy the details._

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 **Date** : 11-14-2187  
 **Location** : New Progress, Horizon, Iera System, Attican Traverse

* * *

My hand cannon bucked in my hand as I fired, the round impacting another Husk center-mass. The creature stumbled twice and then collapsed, but there were three more storming down the hallway behind it. They were damnably fast, having little issue bounding over their fallen companion, then vaulting the small wall of corpses I'd built to close on me.

I put another down with a snap-shot as it closed, the oversized round blowing most of its skull away, and then had to twist left as the next reached hand-to-hand ranges, avoiding a clumsy swing. I smacked the back of my free hand against its shoulder in reply, the omni-panels of my war gauntlet detonating at the contact. Bones cracked audibly at the contained explosions, and the Husk screamed as if in real pain.

Grimacing at the sound, I hunched my shoulders together just as the final Husk came in, taking a punch to my shoulder, angling my body to make it a glancing blow along my shoulder pad rather than a straight hit. It howled and tried to grab for my throat, forcing me to jerk my right arm between us, jabbing my elbow in its own trachea as I held it back.

That, thankfully, left my gun pointing in the right direction, and I put two rounds into the body of recovering husk number three, dropping it. With only the one in front of me left, I set my feet before jabbing my left hand into its gut once, then again to force it back, following that up with a hard kick to its right knee, sending it prone long enough to plant my pistol against the back of its skull.

"Wave clear." I reported, trying not to breath heavily. This had been the smallest group to encroach on my make-shift defenses so far, but it hadn't been the first to make it to melee range, and I was starting to get more than a little worn out. Husks, by and large, seemed to have no tactical sense whatsoever... but they were inhumanly strong and utterly single-minded about closing to grips. "Voya, sound off."

 _"Nothing since those three Geth tried to advance on us."_ She reported, " _Can we switch now? You sound exhausted."_

If she'd said that in anything but an openly eager tone of voice, she might have actually seemed concerned about me rather than concerned with her own boredom.

"Wait one." I replied, changing comms channels before she could con me into agreeing, "Shepard, where the fuck are you?"

The Spectre's response was preceded by something exploding on her end, " _We're approaching the building you marked, should be in the tunnel shortly... I don't think they appreciate that we drove that ship off, they're swarming. Your status?"_

I grimaced, "Seeing increasing numbers, hence why I want your synthetic ass here."

" _We can see the apartment building."_ Her voice became slightly frostier, as it usually did whenever she was reminded of her new nature. " _Arriving shortly."_

Clicking my mic, I switched back to the local channel without a word. "Shepard will be here in a few minutes, Shyeel, hold position. Voya, take my place so I can check on Illyan and Lawson."

She didn't reply verbally, but less than a minute later her petite body emerged from the control room, her coat kicking around her legs as she headed towards the intersection I was guarding. It was the same one we'd originally approached from, given that this was the direction that Shepard would be approaching from, I'd setup all of my traps on the other side of the CIC.

"Mines?" She asked as she approached, her own pistol held low. "You took Illyan's, didn't you?"

"I did, it's set there." I nodded to where the small disc was affixed to the ceiling, about ten meters behind her. "Set to direct the charges at an angle, so stay on this side of the door. I've got two frags on a laser-trap down at the next intersection, all of its live."

My love made a quiet, mewling sound. "I'll stop the idiot _keshin_ from going that way... you need to patch your armor."

"If we have the time." I replied, moving past her as she took up my position at the corner, watching both directions.

"Make time." She called after me, "It's barely holding together."

Grimacing, I ducked my head to show that I'd heard her as I kept moving, entering the brightly lit CIC. Things remained much the same as they had been when I'd last been inside, about twenty minutes prior. EDI was sitting rigidly near a console, linked to the local network and fighting to keep the Collectors and Geth from bringing the GTS weapons back down. She'd already used them to drive off the ship that had landed nearby, but the fleet above had quickly shifted their orbits, staying over the horizon to evade any fire.

Step one, complete.

Step two, survive the next seventy minutes until the _Ha'diq_ and my regiments could arrive, in progress.

Mordin remained near Illyan, her breathing seemed steady but either the drugs or the pain had knocked her out entirely. I wasted little time in approaching their corner, the Doctor glancing in my direction as I did.

"Bleeding stopped." The Doctor informed me when I knelt beside him to check on her, his steady hands securing a tiny regenerator to the heavy medigel patch he'd strapped around the gaping wound. "Confirmed that femur compromised, will need surgery soonest."

I exhaled, shaking my head as I grabbed her pack and got to work pulling her heavy mine out. "Recovery time?"

"Muscles torn entirely, bone needs time to fuse." He sucked in a sharp breath. "Asari regeneration complicates cybernetic replacements. Quick solution leads to future complication, proper healing... months."

"Athame's ass..." I half closed my eyes and rose. "Thanks Doctor."

"Sentiment unnecessary... though appreciated." His bulbous helmet shifted a little to make it clear he was looking at me rather than at Illyan. "Will protect her."

I dipped my head to the left in a silent thanks, then turned away, locating Lawson in the far corner. Frankenstein's monster had dragged all of the frozen people in the room to the area opposite of the Doctor, positioning them so that all but Williams were leaning against a wall. The marine in question was sitting stiffly in a chair while Miranda circled her, evidently still trying to work out how to break the stasis field.

Even as I approached I saw Lawson shift to one knee. She had removed her helmet, letting me see her patrician features scrunch in concentration as she moved both of her hands near the Seeker on William's shoulder.

"Please don't interrupt." Her voice was almost distant when she spoke, "I have to focus."

Stopping a meter or so behind her, I crossed my arms without saying anything, settling in to observe. A biotic could have probably been able to tell just how impressive whatever she was doing was, but to me her hands simply seemed to glow a dull blue. One shifted to where the Seeker had fasted itself to the marine's armor, and tiny sparks of blue-white warpfire began to melt its spindly legs one at a time.

It twitched and seemed to strain, the heavy stinger that formed its head straining to get at William's neck, and I abruptly realized that Lawson was simultaneously holding it in place even as she burned it to death.

There was a long groan as the first seeker died piteously, Lawson falling backwards. I moved to catch her before she could, listening as she panted for air. "Not easy, I take it."

"No..." She groaned. "The field... inhibits biotics somehow. That fire would have immolated any normal being."

I grimaced. "Athame's ass, seriously? We can move them, Collector rounds go right through the effect, can kill them... but you have to nearly knock yourself out to kill one tiny bug?"

"Evidently their biotic theory and technology is vastly superior to our own." Her head shook a little, "And according to Solus, the stinger is filled with a potent neurotoxin, hence why I have to hold them in place as well. Help me up, I have to remove the other."

Shaking my head, I did so, hauling her up to her feet. She wavered slightly when I stepped back, then steadied as I put an arm around her waist to keep her up while leaving both of her arms free. She managed the second one more quickly, though the way her hands shook during the process didn't fill me with much confidence, to the point where I began to prepare myself mentally for telling Shepard that we'd gotten Williams killed.

Instead, the second the Seeker shriveled up and fell, the marine exploded into motion. Unfortunately for Miranda, that motion was evidently a continuation of what she'd been doing right before she'd been locked down; drawing her pistol.

The weapon leaped up at the same time as Lawson gasped and bent over, resulting in a solid piece of metal slamming into her jaw at high speed.

"Shit!" Williams swore as she dropped the weapon in shock and alarm, stumbling to one side even as I hauled Miranda backwards a step. "Fuck, you all right? Couldn't stop it."

Miranda merely groaned a little in reply, making me sigh as I carefully moved her to a nearby chair. She sat heavily, slumping, evidently having no energy left for decorum. I felt her jaw and got my hand tiredly batted at for my trouble, rolling my eyes as I let her check it herself.

"Yes... not broken." Her nose flared a little as she took a deep breath, "Are you... all right? Were you... aware?"

"No... and yes." Came the reply, Williams closing her eyes as she shook her head once, and then again. "I guess intelligence was right, your company is watching these colonies... why?"

"Short version?" I replied, "Aria told me to deal with the Collectors, or else."

The marine grimaced. "Not exactly the motive I was hoping for, but I guess I don't have the luxury of being choosy. What's the situation outside of this room? Couldn't exactly hear your chatter with the helmets."

I glanced at Miranda, found her shakily guzzling some kind of energy drink, and sighed a I realized that I was going to have to explain at least part of this shit. "There's another two teams en route to help hold this facility, we have to keep the GTS defenses up for another.. sixty-two minutes, keep any other ships away from this city. Two Batarian _Ha'diq_ and their fleets will be jumping in along with some of my regiments to help clear the orbitals and take the fight to the other landing zones."

From the way her expression twisted a little, the news that pirates were on their way didn't improve her mood any... but she impressed me by pushing past that and focusing on the more pertinent information. "You got the GTS grid back up? It went down as soon as the attackers hit orbit, the techs said it was some kind of polymorphic VI attack across their network."

"Confirmed." EDI hummed from her seat. "I have repaired the damage and am keeping it secure."

Brown eyes blinked a few times, "Just like that? You fixed the entire thing?"

"Affirmative."

I winced and spoke up again before any more awkward questions could be asked, there'd be enough of that considering the fact that Shepard was due to show up any minute. "If they can disable any of the Collectors' ships, either on the ground or in space to board it, that will be our primary goal. Soon as they're gone we'll be departing."

Williams stared at EDI for a few more breaths, then shook herself and exhaled. "Right, I suppose that leaves protecting the colonists to us. Can you free anyone else?"

The last was directed at Miranda, and the woman lowered her drink. She was no longer panting and shaking, but she looked more than slightly exhausted. "We had to fight our way here, and freeing you was... more taxing than I anticipated. If more Seekers come I will need my strength to keep them off of us. Our second group has a powerful biotic, they should be able to assist... but given the difficulty, I doubt they could free more than one or two."

"None of the Corsairs." I spoke before anyone else could, "I don't trust any of them not to shoot me or mine regardless of the situation."

Ash had the grace to wince. "That's... probably smart of you. If your other biotic can free up Vega, I'll take it. He's the marine right there."

I was in the process of nodding when Voya's soft voice sounded in my ear, " _Shepard's approaching, along with her team... Korolev is wounded."_

I twitched my chin, hitting a tiny button to mute my external mic. "Bad?"

 _"Right arm is gone."_ She replied grimly. " _Same as the big idiot, looks like; particle lance."_

"Dammit. Remain on sentry for now." Turning away from the two women I'd been speaking with, I reactivated my mic and called to Solus. "Doc, another case coming in. Korolev lost an arm."

Mordin practically bounced to his feet, blurring out of the door in a rush. The noise he made almost obscured Williams' stunned mutter of, "Korolev? _Nikita_ is with you?"

Oh... shit. Right, shouldn't have said her name.

"Complicated." I replied just as Shepard entered into the room, half-carrying my fellow experiment over her shoulder. The unstable detective's armor was covered in blood, most of which had obviously come from the short stump that had been her right arm. They'd put medigel patches and a tourniquet into place, but it was clear that she still needed more expert attention.

Behind her came the rest of the team, most of whom looked about as battered as I probably did. Taylor and Vakarian both needed their armor worked on rather badly, and Liara was limping slightly on her left leg. Kasumi was, naturally, the contrast, looking like she'd missed out on any fighting entirely. Given that Grunt and the near-clone were missing, I presumed they'd been left by Voya to help keep watch.

While Mordin got Nikita down beside Illyan, Vakarian predictably moving to hover nearby, Shepard headed in our direction. She hesitated for a fraction of a heartbeat upon seeing Williams aware and mobile, then recovered.

"Director." Her voice came out deeper than natural, her helmet synthesizing the sound to conceal her identity. "Status?"

I just stared at her through my visor for a little while, then shook my head and showed a bit of Batarian chagrin in my posture. "Already said Korolev's name, it's rather pointless."

Shepard crossed her arms, clearly not happy, clearly not about to reveal anything on her own. Unfortunately for her, Williams was evidently anything but slow, and her own voice came out tinged with anger. "That's Nikita... which means the hovering Turian has to be Garrus... who is supposed to be dead. If I had to guess, Liara is the one with the combat lab-coat... meaning _you_ are someone who also reported as dead."

"She was clinically-" Miranda began, only for me to cut her off with a gesture.

"No time." I interrupted, not about to let an argument get started. "Shepard, drop the stupid voice crap. You, me, and Williams need to pick out defensive positions. T'Soni, work with Frankenstein, see if you can the jarhead over there loose."

None of the women seemed at all happy at my tones, or my presumption, with Williams and Lawson both glaring at me in turn. After a moment, Shepard reached up to yank her helmet off, revealing orange-blue eyes _also_ narrowed in anger. Of course, the sight of her obvious changes made her old friend shift from anger to make a stunned noise as her eyes widened in shock.

Thankfully Liara came to my side before anyone else could speak up, "Kaya, Ashley, he's right. We can reunite later, for now we have to work on protecting the colony. Miss Lawson, if you could walk me through the process of removing the Seekers? Kean... for the love of the goddess, _please_ learn to be more tactful."

"I'll get right on that." I offered drily, "Now, we've got two direct access halls and three intersections we need blocked. EDI, do we have to worry about power or any other locations?"

The AI did a credible job of humming in thought, "Possible. Given the time-frame of our defense, it is probable that the attackers may attempt to subvert the base's reactor in addition to cutting us off from the city's main grid."

Shepard half-closed her eyes at my comment, but managed to reply more or less evenly, "Where is it located?"

"Down another sub-level, one hundred meters west." EDI reported. "I have control of the local security cameras, there are currently no hostiles on the route. They seem more concerned with blocking access to the apartment complexes and main barracks."

"Probably worried that we have a way to remove Seekers." Shepard mused, "They can't know we have reinforcements coming, or that we aren't local... they must think we're a freelance alien group that evaded the initial attack, Corsairs do bring those in from time to time. They're thinking that containment is more important than destruction, so long as we can't free anyone else, we're an annoyance but not a serious threat."

"Likely." EDI's helmet nodded, "They have just cut off the main communications tower, believing it will prevent us from contacting the remains of the Corsair fleet."

The Spectre nodded in turn, "Right, Kean, I want your team to head to-"

"No." I cut her off, my voice firm but as polite as I could make it. "We aren't leaving Illyan."

She blinked, clearly a little surprised, then shook herself. "All right, Miranda will take her team then. EDI, you need to remain here? No? Good, she can take you, Jacob, and Kara and hold that position. Ash, you have anyone besides James with?"

"Yeah, full N7 team." Her thumb jerked upwards and behind her, "Except they're all on my ship in hangar three, and probably frozen along with everyone else."

Shepard winced. "Right. Kean can defend the main run, plus the tunnel we came in through. Garrus's team will take the other side, Ash? I want you and James with him since he's down Nikita and probably Mordin. My group will be our mobile reserve; is there a good place to set up between the reactor and here?"

EDI was quicker than my graybox, though she provided the same location I would have, "The command staff's quarters have a lounge attached to them, they are located along the route."

"We'll set up there and be ready to help where needed." She blew out a breath. "Ash, we'll... talk when we've saved the colony."

Williams pressed her lips together, but nodded once. "Bet your ass we will. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

It didn't take Liara long to grasp the concepts that Miranda had used, and a couple of minutes later the mountain of muscle that was James Vega was shaking his head and groaning. Evidently he hadn't been able to hear very well from where he'd been stuck in the corner, which at least boded somewhat well for keeping Shepard's name concealed, but he gamely drew his rifle when Williams explained the situation in terse sentences.

Vakarian, with every sign of reluctance, pried himself away from Nikita and joined them in relieving Shyeel once my companion had pointed out the various explosives that she and Voya had set out. Shepard and Miranda's teams had needed a few minutes longer, as Voya and I had to disable the ones that I'd put along their path, but soon enough they were moving out as well.

About ten seconds after they were gone I found a knife pointed more or less at my throat by an irate Quarian woman, Shyeel openly snickering as I was marched right back into the CIC with orders to patch my armor.

A quiet fifteen minutes or so followed, with the most exciting moments being Miranda's team dealing with a trio of Geth hover-drones that had evidently been sent to scout the reactor control room, and Grunt chasing down a group of husks that had been dragging frozen officers out of their rooms. I could have honestly done without being in the same room with Mordin as he worked, however. The constant humming and one-sided conversations that he held with himself started to get a bit creepy after the fifth or sixth minute.

Patching the three panels on the left side of my chest didn't take long. I couldn't fix the technical projectors, but the armor itself would at least hold together through a few more hits. A larger problem was that I couldn't do anything for the scorched and battered coat. Removing it rather reluctantly, I set it by Illyan, grimacing as I noticed the number of holes that had punched through the armored weave. That just left the broken section on my back, which was an issue for obvious reasons. I wasn't about to remove the entire backplate just to repair one section, but I couldn't exactly reach there on my own either.

As much as I would have preferred Voya or Shyeel to help, I didn't want to leave one of them alone, especially as EDI broadcast a warning that increasing numbers of Geth, Husks, and Collectors were joining the perimeter up above us. "Vakarian, need an extra set of hands. Who can you spare?"

There was a long hesitation before he reluctantly spoke up, " _Ash, you mind?"_

 _"What do you need?"_ The marine asked in turn.

"Patch some damage on my back." I replied.

" _On my way."_

And so, a minute or two later, I was sitting on a stool while Williams carefully began to layer omni-gel over the cracked panel.

"So." She spoke quietly as she worked, "What's really going on? I recognized that woman, Lawson. What in God's name has you, Shepard, and her all working together? And don't give me that short story crap again."

I sighed, "About what you'd expect. Collectors are Reaper puppets, same as the Geth. They have to be dealt with sooner or later, Aria figures it might as well be sooner. She's not exactly giving me much in terms of support, or signs that she cares if I survive this shit, so I have to find allies where I can get them."

She hummed softly. "So you reach out to a group who'll fall all over themselves to protect human colonies from alien abductions. That why you involved yourself in the power struggle between her and the Illusive Man?"

"No, that's... a long story." I shook my head a little, "Not really relevant at the moment; Spectre Atia Severa could get you the details if you want them."

Her hand reached around me in response, handing the small omni-gel dispenser back, and accepting a fastener in reply. My armor tightened up a bit around my chest as she started to re-seal everything. "And Shepard?"

"Broker found her body frozen on that rock, threw her in stasis. Cerberus grabbed her, eighteen months of mad science later and she was breathing again." I summarized, "Sparatus knows she's alive, gave her orders to keep it quiet until he can figure out how to announce it."

The motion behind me slowed, then stopped. "Cerberus had her?"

"Yup." I twitched a shoulder, "That worry you?"

"I've seen what those psychopaths can do." Williams muttered in reply. "Of course it does."

"Good, glad you're sane." I replied, grunting as she jerked on my armor a bit harder than necessary as she resumed working. "But right now we're defending a human colony, so even if we missed something in her head, the odds of her mental state going to shit are pretty low."

She slapped me on the back as she finished, and I glanced at my HUD to confirm that the panel now showed as green as she spoke again, "That's not exactly comforting advice, considering that it's coming from a man who surrounds himself with assassins, psychopaths, and pirates. I'm working with you for now, but once this colony is safe..."

"I intend to leave soonest." I reminded her, standing up and twisting my arms and waist to make sure none of the patches broke. "Not exactly my favorite planet after what the ungrateful assholes did the last time we were here."

Williams seemed to stare at me through her helmet, then shook her head a little, evidently misinterpreting my bored tones for something more defensive. "Shit... look, I'm grateful that you're here, that you're helping, but you can't blame me for being paranoid. The Turian Spectres all seem to approve of your group, but a lot of them are about as axe-crazy as Saren was, so that's not giving me the warm fuzzies about working with you even before you bring Cerberus into the picture."

I blinked and turned to regard her fully, "Williams, I'm not insulted. You don't trust me, or Lawson, or probably Shepard, that's entirely intelligent of you in my opinion. So long as you stay intelligent and don't start acting like those hypocritical _keshin_ in the corner, I have no problems working with you."

Her head shifted a little, as if in disbelief. "...you're not normal, are you?"

Rolling a shoulder in reply, I was about to respond when EDI's calm voice cut across the comms channel, " _There is incoming movement from several directions. Husks and hover-drones are approaching via hallways one, three, and four. A full hex of Geth platforms is also moving down hallway two, preceding towards the CIC. Collectors appear to be remaining in reserve."_

"And round two begins." I murmured as Williams and I exchanged a quick pair of nods before heading for our respective doorways.

* * *

 _ **Silver Blades Communications Log 198-04-A**_

 _Massa, Ayle: This is Executive Commander ul Massa, requesting a sitrep from the ground._

 _B'Mara, Nel: The situation is difficult. We are holding Greenfields, but are becoming increasingly encircled, and we have lost contact with most of the smaller settlements._

 _Massa, Ayle: Losses?_

 _B'Mara, Nel: Moderate but rising. We can deal with the Geth but the Collector's weapons are... advanced. We also lost several bunkers quickly to the Seeker swarms, evidently the pheromone emitters do not help in confined spaces. We've had to fight more in the open and that is leading to casualties._

 _Massa, Ayle: Dammit, understood. Do you still control the main starport?_

 _B'Mara, Nel: At the moment._

 _Massa, Ayle: I'm going to land one regiment there directly to reinforce your own, the other two will put down in the field and try to push on the Collector ship._

 _B'Mara, Nel: Confirmed, I would land them in zone-thirty-seven, the hills will cover the Gardian trucks from Geth armatures, there is a large detachment of them protecting the landing zone._

 _Massa, Ayle: Confirmed, will mass our power armor accordingly. The Xenthans are leading the naval engagement, Joa is following them in. I expect to be on the ground within the hour._

 _B'Mara, Nel: We'll be waiting for you._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Legend's War IV**_

 _This one came out a little shorter than originally intended, but it was either that or have it be overly long in order to fit the defense of the militia compound. So instead this act may last an extra chapter._ _In terms of this section, a short moment of respite in between the battles, and a bit of the expected discussion with Ash._

 _Next two chapters are pretty much going to be straight violence._

 ** _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	25. Operation: Legend's War IV

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Legend's War**

* * *

 **Automated Burst Transmission**

 **Origin:** Team Blue-Three

 **Location:** Cala's Hostel, Reshu System, Dark Rim

 **Cause:** All team heart monitors report no activity

 **Content:** Final audio transcript

 _Massani, Zaeed: Well, that was a goddamned thing._

 _T'Auriel, Cessa: Quite... I suppose I owe Aria an apology. Are any of them still breathing?_

 _Massani, Zaeed: This bitch is still twitching._

 _\- sounds of movement, footfalls; analyzation indicates light armor upon stone flooring_

 _Unknown Turian: She's not long for the galaxy my Queen. Should we preserve her for a mind-rip?_

 _T'Auriel, Cessa: No. Nightwind agents have measures in place to prevent such things... and the bitch tried to kill someone I care for. Let her feel the pain._

 _Massani, Zaeed: You're a goddamned sweetheart love._

 _T'Auriel, Cessa: Sweet talker. You're only saying that because I'm covered in blood._

 _Massani, Zaeed: I've said it when you're wearin' a lot less._

 _Unknown Turian: - cough – My queen... what should we do with the assassins?_

 _T'Auriel, Cessa: Strip the bodies, then take them into the wild. They do not deserve a pyre or even a grave. I will convene the Court to determine our best method of replying in kind. Dear Zaeed... I know it isn't your favorite place, but could you?_

 _Massani, Zaeed: Ahhh shit. Yeah, I'll go talk with the bitch. Might have a few other contacts still breathin', will see what they know._

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 **Date** : 11-14-2187  
 **Location** : New Progress, Horizon, Iera System, Attican Traverse

* * *

This wasn't the kind of fight that I enjoyed... this wasn't the kind of fight that _anyone_ enjoyed.

Considering that we were defending a fixed objective against known enemies, in territory we knew, this was unusual for me. Normally I would be all in on such an engagement, and be entirely content in devising ways to kill the idiots trying to assail us. The problem was that the position was just _that_ bad even before you got into the increasingly clear technological advantage that the Collectors held over us.

Our engineers had designed the hallways with occasional firing positions to better defend the narrow corridors, but they had mostly been an afterthought this far into the base. As far as we'd been concerned when we'd built this stupid facility, if an enemy got _this_ far in, whoever was still inside was pretty much fucked. Hence the escape stairwell that we'd installed, and which we'd confirmed remained sealed and locked.

What that meant practically was that we had no real ability to establish a cross-fire, or even a reasonable firing line. And we had to defend _both_ fucking directions of the hallway. About the only thing we had in our favor was that Shepard's team was keeping the area behind us clear, so we weren't defending _three_ directions at once.

The confined space did give us a few advantages however. Our attackers had just as little cover as we did, and the narrow hallways made the fragments from our mines and grenades ricochet around nicely.

Husks and pieces of husks struck the floor and walls as my grenade detonated, those few that were still partially upright dropping as I carefully put heavy rounds from my pistol into each one. Unfortunately, without their bodies in the way the Geth behind them had easy access to my person, and I flinched back as darts of energy smacked into my shields.

Voya quickly shifted past me, her tech launcher flinging out an overload, the blue disc detonating as she fired bursts from her submachine-gun. "Dropped one, still one in the alcove, three at the end of the hall."

"Shyeel?" I asked as I stepped back, letting her hug the corner, impatiently waiting for my barriers to recharge.

"Holding off three!" The Asari Reyja'krem shouted back from where she was sitting in a firing alcove about six meters in the other direction. As the only one of us who could flash-step her way out of trouble, she'd drawn that assignment while Voya and I held the other direction, our place closer to the relative security of the CIC.

The heavy cracks of her carbine, she'd sensibly left her Kishok in the command center, punctuated her follow-up commentary. "All conventional!"

I grimaced at that. This was the second 'push', the first having been a large group of husks with a few Geth in support, but so far it had all just been standard infantry models. Normally I'd be thankful that we hadn't seen any heavier types, or any Collectors, but without Illyan and her Spitfire to provide us with a heavy weapon I was getting edgy about _when_ they would show.

Voya let out a snapping oath as a torrent of fire collapsed her own shields, and didn't resist when I yanked her back and stepped up to take her place. Exhaling sharply, I glanced around the corner, noted one Geth moving forwards in perfectly smooth motion, moving to join its companion at the forward alcove while the others tried to suppress us.

Grimacing, I let out a tight breath, flicked my thumb to prime a concussive round, then leaned farther out and accepted the shots that promptly focused entirely on my body even as I fired at the exposed Geth. The specialized round didn't knock the heavy machine back or anything to severe, but it did make it stagger slightly as its shields took the blow. I managed two more pulls of the trigger before I had to duck back, my shields entirely drained once more and my technical plates failing, the first of which finished off its barriers, the second struck it in the left shoulder and sheered the arm away.

The Geth let out a squall of electronic noise as I pulled my head back, "Another at the alcove, its arm and rifle are on the ground."

"Shift." Voya quickly moved to replace me, her omni-tool already lit up and ready. I had taken half a step when Shyeel let out a vicious oath.

"They're charging you!" The shout was immediately followed by a torrent of fire from her direction, the Geth likely keeping her in place while their fellows rushed in our direction.

Voya fired her overload blind, the blue disc snapping around the corner, the sound of its detonation entirely inaudible over the sound of gunfire, but the blue flash indicating that it must have struck something. That something evidently wasn't the one-armed Geth because it all but exploded around the corner, an omni-blade extended from its remaining limb as it smoothly drove it towards the lithe Quarian before it.

Rather than stand still and let herself be impaled, Voya twisted aside, firing her weapon one-handed as she did. Given the range, even the pull of the submachine gun didn't overly affect her aim, tracers ripping into the Geth's spindly torso. I had to take a pair of quick steps back as it stumbled and then fell towards me, my own omni-tool spinning up as I primed an overload.

The next Geth was already advancing around the corner, its rifle up and ready, slight scorch marks indicating that it had been the one to take Voya's technical mine. My own struck it before it could fire, the arcs ripping into its systems, a warbling noise escaping as its head-lamp flickered out. Not trusting that it wouldn't have some kind of reset capability, I moved the fingers of my left hand in another gesture and sent an incinerate after it.

Geth platforms three and four arrived as the explosion blew the downed machine into several parts, their rifles already locked onto our positions... yet another problem with fighting the fucking things, if one knew where you were, all of the _keshin_ did, no matter how quickly you killed the first.

There wasn't any time to exchange words, but Voya and I hardly needed to vocalize our plans.

We both surged forwards, one of her daggers appearing in her free hand, while my war gauntlet flared to life around my own. She was closer to our attackers, took a heavy burst of fire to her coat, then she moved right even as I went left. Each Geth had been locked onto one of us, continued to try and track their respective targets, then froze, reset, and shifted back to the person now actually in front of them.

If we'd been at anything besides point-blank range the half-second shift wouldn't have mattered, but this close even a single heartbeat's worth of time was precious.

I had time to see Voya use her gun as a lever, pushing the Geth's rifle aside to let her close, and then I was entirely occupied with my own target. It managed an aborted burst of fire into my right side, the omni-panels shattering, leaving my armor to take the shots, and then my left fist lashed out to graze along its own right hand. The glancing blow detonated one of the three panels on my gauntlet, knocking the rifle away and twisting its arm aside even as an omni-blade flared into existence around its wrist.

Not about to let it use that effectively, I kept my legs moving, surging into the machine's guard, getting my right arm up and block its own attempt to bring the limb back around to swipe at me. That gave me the time to keep using my left, driving two harder blows into its chest to crack the armor plating, exposing its critical internal components enough for me to twist right and snap-fire a round into its power core as I ducked its now-freed blade.

It collapsed a second or so before Voya's did, her blade having cut apart the exposed myomer strands, letting her execute it once it had gone prone.

"Shyeel, stat-" Was as far as I managed to get into my question before the double-explosion of one of our heavy mines went off, the sound swiftly followed by more electronic shrieks and slow, precise gunfire. "...you had to use it?"

A blue flash heralded Shyeel staggering into view, her armor looking as battered as my own, "Yeah, fuckers tried to get a pair of Hunters on top of me while the others went for you."

I grimaced. That had been Illyan's mine, and our last one since Shyeel and Voya had planted theirs on Vakarian's side of the CIC. "Right, get back here, Voya? Help patch her up, I'll stand watch."

The two women fell back, the Asari sinking down to catch her breath while Voya started rummaging around in the three packs we'd left near the doorway. While they worked, I cautiously moved back into the main hall, pulling out technical mines from my launcher to create a few more make-shift traps. A pair of overloads went into the alcove nearer to the tunnel that had brought us down, with an identical setup about five meters past Shyeel's main position.

" _Kean,"_ Shepard's voice carried over our comms as I was finishing the second setup. " _Update?"_

 _"_ Put down two waves." I informed her, "Mixed husks and Geth. We're getting battered but no wounds yet. Your position?"

 _"We hit the group that redirected towards the power plant, Grunt took a few hits but nothing he's not shrugging off."_ She replied, " _Lawson is holding, Garrus has yet to have anyone head in his direction."_

My lips twisted a little. Bloody typical, of course that ass wasn't under siege along with the rest of us. "If he's not being bothered I could use a fourth."

There was a long pause, " _If there isn't a push in his direction the next time you're attacked, tell him to send James or Ash to support you."_

"Confirmed." I replied, falling back to our hall in time to see Shyeel with her helmet up just enough to expose her mouth, half a ration bar sticking out from her lips as she worked on the so-called food.

In either case my request for help turned out to not matter, as the probing attacks against our perimeter shifted towards Vakarian's side while we didn't have anything more severe than a couple of hover-drones. The little things continuously bobbed in an out of cover, firing off short bursts, clearly present merely to keep us honest and unable to go and reinforce the others. While Voya amused herself by sniping back at them, Shyeel got back into her alcove while I listened to the various reports coming in.

Much like our own attacks, Vakarian and the pair of marines were dealing with a mixed assortment of Husks and Geth, and handling them well enough. The same couldn't be said of Lawson at the power plant, as it was becoming increasingly clear that the Collectors considered that to be the more important location, and she was facing an almost continuous assault. That focus made sense when the lights flickered fifteen minutes later, EDI reporting that the base had been cut off from the city's main grid, meaning that the only GTS defenses still active and under our control were those within the perimeter.

Shepard had quickly moved to reinforce her, blocking off an effort to get into the core through a secondary entrance, but the pressure had only seemed to increase on the both of them as a result. Initial waves of husks gave way to Geth of several types, along with reports from EDI that Collectors were starting to move out from their positions at the various exits to the underground. None were heading in our direction, or Vakarian's... but that left Lawson and Shep in an even worse position.

" _Kean."_ The Spectre's voice was taught after the AI's information. " _I need Garrus here, can you hold?"_

I exhaled sharply through my teeth, but couldn't exactly deny that she needed reinforcements. Losing the power plant would fuck over the entire plan just as losing the CIC would. "We'll find out. Voya, you're with me. Doctor Solus, I'm going to need you to backup Shyeel."

" _Confirmed."_ The Salarian replied promptly, emerging from the CIC even as Voya and I got moving in that direction.

Inside found Illyan and Nikita still unconscious and/or drugged, though there was pair of hypo on a console nearby along with a small slip of paper, upon which neat handwriting read, 'Emergency Wake-Up'. I grimaced a little, determined not to use either one unless the situation was so bad that we needed the wounded women to defend the room. As much as I trusted Illyan's ability as a combatant, she'd be barely able to move with her leg like that, and Korolev would be entirely off balance thanks to the six or seven inch stub she had instead of a right arm.

Bypassing them, we exited on the other side of the room to find a straight-shot hallway, Vakarian secure behind a piece of wall plating that had been torn free to act as make-shift cover, while Williams and Vega were firing from doorways just ahead of him. Opposing them was a respectable number of dead husks, a pair of downed Hunters, and a few standard platforms that were still upright, mostly in cover within their own doorways, and retaliating as our 'allies' fired at them.

"Ash, Vega, fall back!" The Turian barked the moment he noticed our arrival, backing away as I shifted around him to take his place, falling to a knee and steadying my pistol on the torn plating as I opened fire.

Williams retreated first, sprinting with commendable alacrity past me while Vega and I provided covering fire. Once she was past, Voya darted forwards to take her place, her light weapon chattering once she got settled. The giant form that was Vega took that as his cue, but commendably assisted his own retreat by quickly throwing out a pair of fragmentation grenades, forcing the Geth to retreat deeper into the conference and storage rooms they were using as cover.

And then the pair of us were alone as the three of them departed, hauling their asses to reinforce the others.

"Time?" Voya called as she sent an overload out, the alert Geth managing to get its synthetic body into cover before the tiny grenade could strike it.

I glanced at the bottom corner of my HUD. "Seven minutes."

She made a mewling sound that carried across her mic, "Assuming they actually show."

"Assuming that." I muttered, grimacing as a plasma dart skipped off my helmet, and putting a solid slug through a flashlight head in retaliation before ducking entirely into cover.

The next five minutes proceeded with a kind of rhythm, Voya and I mixing technical mines and gunfire to keep the Geth back, the Geth keeping up a steady barrage to keep us in place while they tried to advance closer, and once attempting to cover for a Hunter. If the thing hadn't gotten hit by a few stray rounds from Voya's Tempest it would have probably gotten right up to her, but as it was we put it down with combination of grenades before it could do more than singe the armor on her right arm.

Still, while we put down a good six or seven Geth between us, the damage quickly accumulated in return. Our shields were perpetually low, our omni-plating reduced to just the priority sections over our chests and thighs as the power draw of reforming them became too much for our systems, we were both completely out of high-explosive grenades, and, just to top things off, we were running very low on technical mines.

Then we found out that our help had arrived a couple of minutes early.

" _Attention."_ EDI's voice was irrationally calm despite the fighting she was undoubtedly involved in, " _The system relay is cycling for incoming traffic. Energy shadows indicate a large number of vessels are incoming... first ship has arrived, IFF identifies it as a member of Ha'diq ul Ajin's force."_

Something eased a little inside of my chest. I hadn't been entirely sure that the pirates would actually show up, and my paranoia eased slightly to know that reinforcements were actually en route and that our plans were going to complete shit for once.

" _Warning. All perimeter guards are proceeding at speed into the facility. All squads should expect increased contact within the next one hundred and eighty seconds."_

Ah, that was more typical. Good old Athame, making sure the galaxy continued to be dragged through the deeps.

My attention became entirely embroiled in the immediate as the Geth reacted to some unseen signal, their sporadic efforts to keep the two of us pinned in place suddenly sharpening into something concise utterly focused. They must have had a minimal number of programs actually operating the various platforms in front of us, not feeling the need to allocate many to achieve the simple goal, but now the circumstances had changed.

What had been a, though difficult, not overly dangerous situation abruptly became so as the five remaining Geth all shifted out of sight for a handful of breaths, then began firing in sequence.

Two each poured a torrent of fire at Voya and I, while the fifth used the covering fire to dart forwards to the doorway nearest to my companion before the fire abruptly slackened. I started to rise, fully intending to cut loose with as many tech mines as I could, then cursed and hauled my head back down as the Geth promptly resumed their barrage.

Fuckers had baited us, and a single risky glance confirmed that another two had used the fact that we'd both had to conceal ourselves to rush forwards as well.

"We have to pull back!" I snapped, "Cloak and retreat, get the Spitfire!"

Voya clicked her mic in reply, air rippling as she vanished and then tore off at a sprint the next moment that there was a lessening to the fire. I snapped my left arm around my cover and triggered an overload to cover her, the mine making two platforms flinch back, but the other three simply shifted to focus on me, and I saw heat-sinks fly free from their weapons as they rapidly replaced them before resuming the attack.

Keeping a firm count was a pain in the ass, but necessary to give Voya enough time to get inside, grab Illyan's gun, and then heave the massive thing onto a console or table to let her steady it. Popping up and down another pair of times let me fire a concussive round to short out a platform's shields, and to batter its armored chest, at the expense of my shields remaining critically low.

At one minute, I triggered two more overloads blind, sending them at the doorways I'd last seen the platforms at, grimaced as I realized that left me with a meager six, and the fired another anyway just to occupy them while I rose and threw myself for the CIC. My little barrage evidently disrupted them enough for me to survive, but only just. Warnings shrieked as my shields finished collapsing, the technical panels on my back shattering a heartbeat later, my emergency shields covering me for about two long steps, and then I was getting smacked in the spine repeatedly as my armor did its damnedest to stop the rounds from penetrating into me.

Scrambling inside, I threw myself around the doorway's edge, trying to ignore the rash of red now coloring my HUD. "Voya!?"

In response she simply held the trigger of the light-machine gun down, flicking her long thumb to occasionally add a technical mine to the deluge. She'd heaved the thing up and onto the main holographic table, ignoring the usual grips in favor of simply using her shoulder to nudge the large weapon back and forth as she sprayed fire.

"Three down, one damaged." She reported not long after, having evidently had little difficulty aiming despite the situation. "Got lucky, they tried to pursue you."

I grunted, breathing a little heavily. My armor might have held but only just; my back was going to be a mess of bruises. "The last?"

Another set of rounds thundered out in response, followed by a pair of orange flashes and the dual-cracks of the incinerates going off. "...also down."

"Good job." I managed in between breaths, "Shyeel, we had to pull back a bit, how's your end?"

" _Still holding."_ She reported, " _Few husks and a Hunter but nothing major yet. Those damned hover things are still around though, can't risk pulling back."_

"Keep them busy." I agreed. Last thing we needed was the fast little things getting in here to attack our wounded, or for them to flit off to the plant and attack Shepard or Lawson from behind.

"Movement." Voya's warning stopped me before I could even try to contact the Spectre or Frankenstein and see what was going on at the other sight. "Just ducked back... think it's a bug."

"Athame's..." I exhaled between my teeth. "Pin it."

Cautious five and six round bursts was her reply to that, keeping the weapon's heat down even as she made them recognize that we'd seen them. Still, her position wasn't very good, the glowing table probably highlighting her nicely, and she wouldn't be able to stay there for long... but _fuck_ , we couldn't exactly use any of our usual tactics in this situation.

Retreat was impossible, given Illyan and Korolev's wounds, and with the room's controls critical. Advancing to buy time and space was equally impossible, they'd kept us penned in too neatly, and we lacked the numbers or explosives to force the issue. Help was on the way from the Relay, but that was still going to take time, and I doubted that we'd get anything from the other teams.

That pretty much left sitting here and taking the punishment as our only real option.

"Swap with me." I made the snap decision a breath later. While Voya might have been as physically strong as I was, Quarians didn't have anywhere near the stamina. She was covering it with the ease of experience, but I knew her well enough to tell that she was more than slightly exhausted.

She nodded in agreement almost at once, letting go of the heavy weapon as I pushed off from the wall. While I quickly got settled, and adjusted what power my armor had left to focus my technical panels around my head and chest, my companion ghosted over to where I had been.

We had had barely gotten set up when the Collector made its appearance, golden darts shrieking down the hall in my direction. Thankfully the corrupted Prothean was still organic enough to miss, unlike the bloody Geth, and only a few of the rounds smacked into me as I replied in kind. The tracer rounds skipped off of its own shields even as my own collapsed, _again_ , but it quickly ducked back all the same.

Growling a little, I slid the weapon to the right as much as I could, hoping the slight position shift would save my skull from a sniper round or particle lance. But rather than anything so final, the Collectors elected to act like traditional infantry.

Our first friend opened fire a few long breaths later, enough time for his shields to recharge, and I retaliated just as several more of the spindly aliens surged around him. I shifted my aim immediately and triggered an overload from the weapon's secondary barrel, the combination seeing the lead Collector stumble and then fall as I killed it. Any satisfaction that I might have felt vanished when my omni-panels collapsed and rounds drilled into my chest, cracking the armor and seeing me fall onto my ass as I coughed for air.

"Shyeel!" Voya snapped a heartbeat before her light weapon started chattering, "I need you both in here!"

I shook myself, tried to reach up to grab onto the Spitfire, then nearly lost my bloody hand when a particle lance struck the weapon directly. It didn't so much melt as explode, and only the facts that I was mostly prone, with the lip of the table between me and the gun saved me from serious problems.

As it was the blast still knocked the breath out of me once more, my helmet's systems helping to inform me that pretty much _all_ of my armor was falling apart. I was only vaguely aware of what was happening elsewhere, hearing Voya triggering technical mines in a rapid sequence, hearing Shyeel indicate that she and Mordin were coming.

I returned to reality just in time for two Collectors to storm into the room, one wielding the particle lance, the other something that might have been a submachine gun. Both saw me half-sticking out from behind the wreckage that had been the CIC's main holotable, and instantly sighted in on me even as I hauled myself back behind it entirely. The steady beam of golden light tore into the flooring where I had just been, pursued me through the shredded table, and then cut off when Voya let out a snarling shout.

Taking that as my cue, I heaved myself onto a knee, drawing my pistol in the same motion, and saw her bobbing around the creature as her blades worked, cutting through its organic armor to try and find tendons and vitals. It let out a piercing cry, more rage than pain, and staggered back as it dropped its heavy weapon and tried to use its clawed hands to defend itself.

Ignoring that brawl, I sighted in on the other bug, one of its knees on the ground, its other leg stretched awkwardly to one side. She'd either hamstrung it or caved in its knee as she went past, either way it left me with an easy target. It reeled as my hand cannon blew pieces of its chest apart, then went down when I forced myself to steady my breathing and aim for its skull with round number three.

Voya managed to find a weak-point in her opponent around the same time, a cut near its lower back evidently breaching its unnatural armor and drawing a real sound of pain. She promptly deflected a clumsy punch and twisted her way under its reach to drive her dagger directly into that spot before savagely ripping the blade out at an angle. The Collector dropped, its spine evidently severed, letting her skip back and steady her own aim before she put a round through one of its eyes.

"Another!" The shout came from the back doorway, Shyeel's voice preceding a green flash and the arrival of a robed Collector biotic via flash-step.

The bow-shock slammed into Voya, my lover not all braced for such a blow, and flung her hard into a nearby console. She let out a wheezing sound as she flipped entirely over it, clutching at her chest and coughing violently as she landed on the far side. Shyeel and I reacted instantly, both going for nullifiers, only to see the bug flick its hands out, hurling both grenades out the door before they could detonate near itself.

Shyeel let out an oath and vanished in a haze of blue, exploding back into reality next to him and driving her carbine at its skull. It batted the weapon aside, bending to avoid the gunshot that would have clipped its broad skull, then snapped its attention to me as I rose, another nullifier primed and cycling in my hands.

That turned out not to help much, since instead of throwing the grenade, it simply threw my shield-less ass into the far wall and backed away rapidly, avoiding the worst of the effect even as I collided with the Butcher and his frozen Corsair friends. It _didn't_ , however, avoid Shyeel activating her armor's one-shot system, its barrier flickering and dying as she dropped her gun, drew her blade, and then lunged back into close combat range.

I could admire her blade-work, and the Collector's ability to respond with a blade that had extended from its own wrist, from my place on the floor.

Though honestly, the most impressive part was the old Salarian doctor's arrival. I hadn't had any idea that he'd had a tactical cloak setup in his armor, but couldn't deny its usefulness when he simply appeared behind the engaged bug. I expected him to simply shoot it or perhaps try and drug it... but instead he grabbed a nearby chair, spun himself twice to build up some momentum, and then slammed the thing over the Collector's head.

"Thanks Doc." Shyeel gasped as she staggered forwards, bringing her sword up and igniting the eezo lattice. It was only then that I noticed that her armor was far more battered than I'd last seen it, as was Solus', clearly they'd had far more than a few platforms to worry about at their end. Her burning blue blade came down with a finality, her tired words accompanying it. "Seal the doors, would you?"

"Of course, of course." He moved with far more stiffness to his gait than I was used to, but managed to seal both exits in good time.

While he was thusly occupied, I managed to extricate myself from the rigid idiots, though I needed to grab a nearby chair of my own in order to lever myself up to my feet. "...fucking... ow. Voya?"

There was a ragged gasp in reply, "Hurts... you... idiot... male."

I wheezed out something that was supposed to be a laugh, but from the way Shyeel's helmet swung towards me, and then towards Voya, it didn't to much to advertise my own health. "Cie, you all right?"

"Hurts. Everything, will live. Check on Voya." Mordin bustled past me, clearly already on his way to do just that. Leaving him to it, I kept my attention on the Asari. "You?"

"No Collectors, just Geth on our side. Group of Hunters." She waved a hand at her battered armor. "Out of grenades, they trashed my pistol and Solus' gun, was going to pull back when she called us in."

I grunted. "Check Illyan and Nikita for technicals... mine-traps at the doors. Have to alert Shepard and-"

"You have to sit down." She interrupted, sheathing her sword and stepping around wreckage and bodies to get to me. I glared at her through my visor and tried to bat her hand away, only for her to easily ignore the blow and grab my shoulder. A moment later she'd pushed me into the chair that had been keeping me upright, graciously allowing it to continue to do so. "I'll see what I can do with the doors, stay put until he can check you."

That... sounded a lot better now that I was sitting down, so I nodded slightly, winced as something in my back spasmed a bit, then got my omni-tool going.

"Shepard, Kean."

" _Sitrep."_ Her voice came through clearly, without any accompanying music of battle, but her tones were... off, flat, emotionless.

"Still hold the CIC, but all of us are wounded." I managed, "Had to seal ourselves in."

There was a quiet murmuring as she lowered the gain on her mic, speaking to someone else before returning, " _Miranda indicates that there aren't any more in the building, the rest of pulling away from the complex entirely... grabbing as many people as they can in the process."_

I opened my mouth to thank the goddess for small favors, registered the second part of her sentence, and bit my tongue before I could say anything. Not that I still didn't appreciate the fact that the Collectors and Geth were evidently clearing out of the city, but something in her voice told me that Mount Shepard would explode if I didn't act with a little tact for once.

She continued, evidently unaware of what I'd almost said in response. " _Maintain your position and see to your people... I'm sending Liara and Ash to you to escort Mordin here as soon as he can be spared, we've got wounded as well."_

"All right." I frowned a little, my battered brain putting pieces together before the wave hit the beach, "Who did we lose?"

" _EDI's platform is gone... so is Jacob."_ Shepard sucked in a tight breath. " _We might lose Kasumi and Garrus."_

I winced. I didn't like Garrus much, but I couldn't deny his importance to Shepard... and I was becoming rather fond of Kasumi. "I'll send Mordin as soon as the escort gets here, our wounds aren't serious in comparison."

For a few long breaths there was nothing, then she made a quiet noise. " _Thank you. Without EDI we don't have a link to the Normandy, or your people. See if you can get any of the communications working, otherwise we'll have to hold position until they land."_

Clicking my mic in response, I disconnected from the channel and started looking around for the right console.

* * *

 **Combat Log; _SBS Reliant_**

 **Engagement:** New Canton; Collector Attack

 **Date:** 11-14-2187

 _Naval engagement above New Canton proceeded according to the prearranged plan with Admiral ul Verein. The Xenthan Imperial battle-group approached in the lead, following a high-angle line that drew the Collector and Geth group away from the colony and ensured minimal ground-side damage._

 _Opposing forces were far lighter in numbers than those recorded at Horizon and threat estimate was minimal as a result. Geth screening vessels were destroyed in detail first, retaliatory fire caused light damage to several Imperial ships. Collector ships did not engage even as Geth warships reached knife-fighting distance._

 _Battle progressed as the Reliant and Headsman entered combat range, destroying two Geth cruiser analogs. The remainder of Geth forces were destroyed by the Imperial group at roughly the same time, leaving only three Collector vessels in orbit and two upon the ground._

 _Those ships in orbit fled to FTL after a few desultory shots from our combined fleet harassed their shields, they did not reply with any weapons systems._

 _Given the position of the Collector vessels near the colony's prime city, and the hope that they could disabled and boarded while still on the ground, the decision to forgo bombardment was made and troop landings began under Exec. Cmdr. Ul Massa's direction._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Legend's War V**_

 _And phase one of the battle for Horizon wraps up. With the commando action completed, we'll be moving into the full battle next, followed up by the oh-so delightful aftermath._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 ** **Review Responses:****

rfpizzle → Miranda was the only canon character seriously considered as a viable romantic interest for Cie, back when the Blocked Writer and I were discussing how things were going to play out on that front several stories ago, to the point where the two of them hooking up was in the original chapter-by-chapter outline of this story. That's obviously out the window at this point, but their interaction is one that I enjoy writing.

On Ashley; I always thought that Ash was a viable Spectre replacement, especially when framed in the context of her replacing Shepard. Ash is known to be a highly skilled marine, but also someone whose loyalty to the Alliance is unshakable, and whose motivation to repair her family name is utterly transparent. She, unlike Shepard, is very unlikely to ever put Spectre or Council interests ahead of Alliance interests.

That would greatly appeal to Alliance leaders who, with an extra two years of having to deal with Shepard's harping on Saren, the Reapers, and her tendency to use her Spectre authority in ways that the SA disapproved of, would be entirely too happy to have someone more... reliable as their next Spectre.


	26. Operation: Legend's War V

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Legend's War**

* * *

 _ **Classified Recording; Chamber of Reflection, Temple of Athame's Judgment**_

 _Samara, Senior Justicar: I must protest, honored one. The delay in our departure will allow continued predations upon the innocent, haste is required in this matter._

 _Allayrier, High Justicar: The matter is out of my hands Samara. The code is clear, we must obey the Matriarchs when they speak with a single voice._

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: Do they not understand the threat? Three demons escaped from the sacred monastery, such a thing has never happened in the history of our order. The code is also quite clear on what we must do._

 _Allayrier, High Justicar: Remember your place, Sister. Your zeal does you credit but the matter is closed. I expect to hear no more of it until the Matriarchs inform me that the time has come._

 _\- footsteps; the sound of a door closing_

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: They are wrong._

 _Samara, Senior Justicar: I agree, but it is their right to prevent us from acting beyond our borders._

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: Illium is not beyond our borders, regardless of what those fallen whores believe._

 _Samara, Senior Justicar: Helyna, think carefully on this. Perhaps-_

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: If have done enough thinking on the subject, Samara. That criminal's words continue to linger within my mind, and the more I listen to the wind outside this Temple the more I doubt. Don't tell me that you don't as well._

 _Samara, Senior Justicar: I... cannot._

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: Then what do we do? The Code is clear, we must obey... or we must forsake it._

 _Samara, Senior Justicar: I cannot depart the Order, Helyna. Not until my oath is fulfilled, until my mistakes can no longer hurt the innocent._

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: ...I understand._

 _Samara, Senior Justicar: And yourself?_

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: Today... I will meditate upon the code. Perhaps there is a current we have not yet found, a passage that will make things clearer._

 _Samara, Senior Justicar: Wise. I will join you, if you do not mind the company._

 _Helyna, Senior Justicar: Of course not._

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 **Date** : 11-14-2187  
 **Location** : New Progress, Horizon, Iera System, Attican Traverse

* * *

The good news was that the _Normandy_ had managed a fast, low pass to snag a borrowed shuttle containing our wounded, Joker piloting the stealth ship with his usual insane skills to avoid any problems.

The bad news was that the Collectors had a firm grasp on the notion of psychological warfare.

I had honestly expected them to kill everyone via the poison in the Seekers once they pulled out, as a means of cheapening our small victory and demoralizing us. Instead they had done something far more clever; they'd released them all from stasis, the insects swirling up and away to follow the last shuttles to the other landing zones. This accomplished two things for them: it left plenty of fodder for them to eventually return and capture, showing just how threatened they felt in the process, as well as leaving us with a fuck-all mess to deal with.

Now, instead of a veritably empty city we could simple use a base from which to operate, we had a city filled with panicked, terrified civilians who were all convinced that _they_ were the most important people in the universe. What passed for a local government wasn't any better, doing nothing to try and control the situation, instead trying to seal themselves in the priority bunker in the center of town.

My people had had to abort two landings at the spaceport when mobs had tried to swarm our shuttles and drop-ships, creating a bottleneck as everyone had to land here at the base, and denying us any chance to get access to the rest of the city's power and defense grid... leaving none of us terribly thrilled.

"Physically you're in no danger, _Reyja'krem._ " The Batarian medic from the Sixteenth Xenthan informed me, all four of his eyes narrowed a little as he read the data scrolling across his omni-tool. "But you do have a lot of bruising and swelling, some of it internally, and your ankle is definitely twisted. I'd recommend you avoid combat and anything strenuous, at least until we can do a proper scan and ensure there's no breaks, tears, anything like that."

I grunted and dipped my head politely, "Thanks."

"My honor sir." He replied, bowing his own head deeply to his left before backing away, joining the general chaos within the hangar.

While we had left a team of engineers, plus a few squads of guards, in the base's CIC, we'd setup our own command post in the first empty hangar that we'd found. It was newer construction, built by the locals after our departure, and clearly intended to house Alliance stealth frigates like Williams' ship in the neighboring building. But it was armored, spacious, and had plenty of open space nearby for our shuttles and drop-ships to touch down.

Shyeel stepped away from a precariously balanced group of crates once the medic had gone, her helmet shifting as she looked me up and down. "You good?"

"Not going to die at the moment." I shrugged, reaching out to grab my cane, using it to lever myself to my feet. Miranda's people had dropped it off when they'd picked up our wounded, and I'd been appropriately thankful. I hadn't even noticed the pain in my ankle until later, but evidently my landing when I'd hit the bloody wall had done some damage. "Any reports from the _Normandy_?"

She shook her head, "Nothing since the fly-by grabbed our shuttle. They'll be fine."

I didn't doubt that Voya would be. Where I had probable bone-bruises, she had fully broken ribs, painful and debilitating but nothing that a quick bit of surgery wouldn't fix up. Illyan was more worrying, as were Nikita and Kasumi. Garrus... less so, if I was being honest with myself.

"Lawson? Shepard?" I asked, changing the topic before I could grow too concerned.

"Former is still down in the CIC, helping keep the systems patched together and trying to get access to the city's main weapons." She replied, stepping over and wrapping an arm around my waist to support me as I started limping forwards. "Latter has what's left of her team and is already heading for the second landing zone."

"Of course she is." I muttered irritably. On one hand I could understand her departure, she had a plenitude of logical reasons for running off to rejoin the fight... but on the other hand it left _me_ stuck here directing and dealing with the million and a half problems that were now plaguing this goddess-damned city.

Shyeel hummed but otherwise stayed silent and close, helping me move through the productive chaos as men and women setup the various consoles, communications gear, display tables, and the thousand other little things needed to suddenly throw up a functional command center. Still, I had to give the Xenthan's credit; they were doing it as quickly and efficiently as my Omega-raised soldiers had on our last mission.

"Captain." I called as we neared the epicenter of the movement, a tall Turian male standing alone at the largest of the portable holo-tables. "What's the status on the locals?"

"They've stopped trying to get through the gates." Senior Captain Bresil Norik turned and gave me a quick bow. He was the most experienced of the three regiments that I'd brought with, having been in command of the Sixteenth Xenthan for most of a year now. Like most Turians from the world he had silver plates over coal skin, with jagged blue paint declaring his Xenthan origins. "But they haven't backed off very much. It won't be long until the mob mentality kicks back in and they make another effort."

I grunted, "I'm not going to be broken up if you have to shoot them until they get the point. Your focus has to be keeping the GTS defense here online."

The Turian glanced out of the hangar, looking at the towers stretching above the base. I looked with him in time to see two of them abruptly flashing, red light briefly appearing as they fired at something entirely out of sight before falling dormant once more. Probably taking out another set of those bloody drone fighters that had been trying to sneak into the area. "We'll keep them up."

"I know." I replied, turning back to the display, Shyeel stepping away from me to give me a little room, her arms crossing as she also looked at the images. "What's the status of the other units?"

He leaned forwards, clawed hands effortlessly manipulating the image to show Old Progress. The nearest city, only forty miles away, it had seemed the logical place to attack given both its proximity and the fact that it had its own GARDIAN towers that we had a chance to activate if the Collectors hadn't shredded them. Further, the vessel that had landed there was far smaller than the others, potentially meaning there would be less opposition.

"Fifth Omega is entirely down, Eighth will be soon." He nodded firmly. "The colony towers and the hills are blocking the Collectors' from firing for the moment, but that's going to change as soon as they start moving on the city. Our... _guests_ are already down and are preparing to infiltrate the city."

I grimaced and was about to ask about the fighting in orbit when an armored form pushed her way free from the crowd, striding purposefully in our direction. A breath or three later I picked out the larger form of Vega following his boss, though he stayed back and let Williams do the talking. "Kean, the pirates still aren't committing."

"Dammit." I muttered, wishing my helmet wasn't in the way so I could rub at my forehead. "I'm not surprised. I suppose I should be thankful that they at least cleared a corridor for my people to land."

The Spectre made a credible grunting noise, "You can't order them in?"

"Fuck no." I sighed, "We're working together, and they like me personally, but that doesn't mean they'll take my orders. If the Collectors are content to sit on the other side of the moon, they're not about to risk their people. Were you able to get through to anyone?"

"No." She replied, shaking her head. "The first fleet could be here anytime in the next few hours... Kean, what the hell is that in his mouth?"

I blinked, then glanced over to my left. There, with a wide berth around them, was a full Hunting Squad, eight Asari and two Quarians. The ten of them were standing guard around five bound figures in black armor, the Humans having had their weapons removed and piled off to one side.

The Butcher and his bodyguards had been unlocked with everyone else, thankfully after Miranda and Shepard had returned from the power plant. He, unlike Williams, had evidently missed Shepard's name being spoken, and seemed to be operating under the assumption that this was a combined Cerberus-Blades operation.

That had meant it had taken all of five seconds for him to irritate both Lawson and I to the point where we'd entirely ignored Shepard's protests and had all of them bound and dragged outside... but he hadn't had a bright pink ball-gag in his mouth at the time.

"SL?" I asked.

The Squad Leader, a blue-skinned Asari with the vertical, eye-bisecting lines that had become all the rage amongst our membership, gave me a chagrined smile. "Sorry Director, he wouldn't shut up and it was all I had on me."

A second glance confirmed that the others had socks, torn shirts, or just tape over their own mouths, and seemed just as happy about their situations as their boss.

"Can't blame you." I rolled a shoulder after a moment, "See if you can't find a quieter place to keep them, but I want them alive when we depart."

Norik glanced at me, "You sure, Director? They're Corsairs, and rumor has it they already want you dead."

"I'm not sure," I admitted, "Guy is total ass, but killing them would create more problems than it would solve. Find a storage room and leave them in it."

The huntress bowed before turning around and kicking her prisoners into motion, her team hauling the unwilling men and women to their feet and dragging them away. Williams watched them go without comment, and I could only guess at what was going through her head.

Shyeel noticed her attention as well, and spoke up, "You disapprove, Spectre?"

"I'd disapprove a lot more if I hadn't heard him blaming you for this attack." She shook her head tiredly, "Like I told you, not thrilled that I have to work with you, but the middle of an attack by eldritch aliens isn't the time for blame games."

I sighed almost contentedly; I could get used to working with someone with such sensible priorities. "You going to chase her down at Old Progress, or you going to supervise us?"

"I'm going to see if I can't calm those civies down before you start shooting them." Williams replied. "Waiting on my N-team to finish getting loaded up, then we'll see what we can do."

Across from me, Norik's mandibles twitched once. "My people have orders to shoot over their heads when possible, but if you could get them calmed down it would still be appreciated."

"If you can get them to disperse," I continued, "That would be even better. We don't have the firepower to stave off a dedicated landing effort, not if the _Ha'diq_ refuse to engage, not without getting the main grid back online and wrestling control away from those cowards downtown. If you can get them out of the way maybe we can send a Hunting platoon or two into the city to resolve those problems."

Williams seemed to wince inside her helmet. "Right, I'll see what I can do. Same channel?"

I nodded firmly, a motion she replicated before moving off. My mouth opened to ask Shyeel to go with, in case she had any issues with our people, then my mental waves caught up and reminded me that would leave me without any of my usual companions nearby... and given my current condition, I didn't quite care for that. So instead I simply closed my mouth, exhaled, and then turned back to the display as Norik brought up the orbital deployments.

The pirates were grouped up in a high orbit, their formation anchored by _Ha'diq_ ul Ajin's old Batarian battlecruiser. More than eighty other warships of varying size and quality surrounded it, the criminal fleet pointed directly the colony's sole moon. On the far side of the rocky orb was the Geth and Collector force, which was now heavily outnumbered and clearly not looking for a straight fight. They were probably only sticking around while their ground teams picked up as many humans as possible before they had to withdraw.

The sole survivors from the Corsair flotilla also remained in system, but they had made a secondary jump out to the Relay... which was worrying for all kinds of reasons.

"How long do you think we have?" I asked quietly.

Norik couldn't purse his lips, he didn't really have any, but he could twitch his mandibles unhappily. "First groups could be showing up at any time."

"Athame's azure..." I flexed the fingers of my left hand, then forced them to relax. "We need to hurry this up. Contact Captain ul Raul, tell him to shift a token force into the city, but that his main goal has to be the Collector ship. If we can disable it or force it back that will be a win."

He nodded sharply before turning and snapping orders to a pair of comm-techs lingering near their equipment.

It still took a little while, a good fifteen minutes passing before the two units were ready to advance, but considering that they were arranging better than two thousand soldiers into battle lines I wasn't about to bitch. The bulk of the infantry began a quick movement towards Old Progress proper, their light artillery and mortars setting a smoke barrage at the city's edge to cover the advance. How useful that was, even with the jamming equipment such rounds also deposited, I had no idea, but it seemed to help as the first Hunting squads began to reach the buildings.

There the casualty reports quickly began to roll in as Geth resisted, but the advance continued, bolstered as the slower Line teams caught up, the Turians and Batarians catching up to the Asari-dominant light units. Warnings quickly went out as well as groups found condensed seeker swarms, areas flagged for avoidance and containment. More such communique came in from Shepard as she began her assault on the city's far smaller militia base, Senior Captain ul Raul quickly sending an entire Hunting Company from the Fifth Omega to back her up.

While that was developing, the main show began far more slowly on the eastern outskirts of town, the two Senior Captains running the attack clearly wanting to give Shepard a chance to bolster their firepower. Perhaps twenty minutes later, as the cybernetic zombie Spectre sent another positive progress report, they enacted their plan.

All of us around the table leaned in, staring as the core assets of the regiment began to move. Line and Engineering companies moved in escort positions as the power armored platoons and the GTS units shifted into positions to fire on the landed Collector ship. It didn't remain passive to the threat, nor did the ground forces protecting it. The shambling forms of Armatures and Colossus moved out from hidden positions in the suburbs, long-range fire flying between them and the hundred or so armored suits leading the push.

Behind, the... destroyer, I supposed, joined the fray as well. Looking like a slightly smaller version of the asteroid-like cruiser, with an odd tower sticking out at one angle, it fired the same super-sized particle beams, the fire stabbing out to tear into some of the lumbering GARDIAN trucks. My people retaliated in kind a few heartbeats later, lasers stabbing out from vehicles to rake at the armored hull. Missiles joined them not long after, those trucks lingering in whatever defilades they could find.

Not that it helped much, the corvette's weaponry proved itself more than capable of burning its way right through the hillsides to get at them, but that came too late to stop the oversized missiles from being launched. Tiny icons tracked them as they screamed across the battlefield, smashing into their target as more GARDIAN-equipped trucks got into position.

"Come on... you can't take this much longer." I heard myself muttering in frustration, watching as another vehicle's worth of crew died instantly. "Pull out. You've got your cargo, fucking bail."

They didn't, not for another minute, when Shepard finally got the city's own defenses online. Lasers mounted in towers went live as missiles exploded from underground silos, the weapons tearing at the ship as its engine abruptly flared to life.

"Tell them to cease fire." I snapped, the relayed data showing a ship that had clearly stayed too long to make a clean escape. "Fucking let it launch or it's going to fall on them! Get me ul Ajin!"

Communications officers quickly began to relay the order, bolstered by Norik's own cursing when he didn't think they were doing so with the alacrity it deserved. One of them, at least, got me Ajin within a couple of seconds, the pirate appearing on a smaller table that Shyeel helped limp over to.

" _Kean."_ He greeted me, the roguish Batarian male bowing in a neutral but polite fashion. " _You look like shit, and yes, I see the target you've lit up for us."_

"I feel it." I replied, "And good. You need marines?"

" _No, I can handle it if the main fleet doesn't move in support."_ Came the reply. " _We'll secure it for boarding and... Pillars crush them, the rest of the landed ships are launching, and the fleet is moving."_

Twisting my torso around, I glanced back at the main table just as Norik changed it to show the orbital view. Sure enough, the two other ships still on the ground were lifting off as well, whatever Collector was running the show evidently deciding that enough was enough. Ajin cut the signal, wisely focusing on his own shit as the pirate fleet got into motion as well.

"Really wish I knew enough to judge this." I muttered to Shyeel as we both watched the dance occurring far above. Ships were moving in complicated patterns on the enemy's side, while the _Ha'diq_ formed most of their own vessels into a Batarian battle-sphere. "There they go."

She nodded as several destroyers and a cruiser accelerated away from the main fleet, clearly moving to intercept the laboring Collector destroyer clawing its way through the atmosphere. Everyone turned and looked outside as the ionized cracks of heavy lasers sounded, the GTS weaponry targeting the other two ships as they exposed themselves by launching.

"Nothing we can do at this point." She murmured quietly, "If the bugs are pulling out, it's time for us to go too."

I sighed. "Yeah... shit. Norik? Signal the transports, we're going to have to make ourselves scarce soon."

The Turian blinked, then shook himself and nodded. "Right. We should keep our rear-guard at the bunkers sir, ensure that the locals don't try to repeat what they did to us the last time we were here."

"Agreed." My left hand waved slightly. "Handle it, I'm going to check on the Spectre and on Cerberus. Make sure everyone grabs as much salvage as they can fit on the way out. Each regiment will get part of the take."

He gave me a quick bow that conveyed his approval of the order, a motion that I returned before limping away, leaving the withdrawal in his capable hands. Shyeel followed, though this time she merely stayed nearby rather than unnecessarily helping me walk.

"How do you think New Canton went?" She asked as we moved outdoors, the slowly setting sun making the shadows lengthen around us.

"Probably about the same as here." I sighed. "A win that cost us, but at least Ayle will have a grateful populace instead of the _keshin_ and _kolsha_ that live here."

Shyeel snickered quietly, "True. The post-battle sex is probably going to be epic. Lucky bastards."

"Don't make me hit you."

"You'd fall over if you even tried."

I groaned because it was true, but she took pity on me and didn't make any further jokes as we walked to the main gate. There we found a half-squad of Power armor, bolstered by two Line squads, standing guard, with a veritable mass of humanity visible about twenty meters past the entryway to the compound.

Williams, Vega, and four soldiers in black armor were conversing with a group of the civilians, the Spectre pointing a hand firmly at the GARDIAN towers behind us even as they let off another cracking volley, then just as firmly stabbing her hand back at the silent towers farther inside of the city. She'd removed her helmet, revealing her not unattractive features and a fearsome repression as she gave some kind of passionate speech.

Which, knowing some little of the woman, would be heavy on the passion and low on flowery language unless she had a poem to fit the moment.

"The good old point-the-finger-at-the-rich-fucks ploy." Shyeel observed. "Probably working pretty well considering the evidence in front of their faces."

From the expressions on the people near Williams, I thought that was fairly accurate. The Spectre turned a little as we slowed to a stop at the gates, and if anything seemed to grow more animated, waving a hand at our battered bodies and at her own armor before again pointing at the city.

"Bit late." I noted as the evident 'leaders' of the mob backed away and started shouting at the rest of them, the massive crowd seemingly reluctant to disperse, but beginning to scatter all the same. "But at least we aren't dealing with them."

My companion nodded, "Imagine the optics of us having to gun them down?"

I winced. "I'd rather not. Matriarch would be all over that shit, so would the Justicars and Corsairs..."

"We'd be on every Citadel news run." She agreed darkly. "Probably lose our mercenary charter with the Council, even if we kept the one on Illium."

I opened my mouth to agree, paused in thought, then snort. "You think we should thank Williams personally, do you?"

"Don't you?" She crossed her arms. "I could handle it while you're getting patched up."

"She doesn't go for women." My lips twitched. "Or Asari."

Shyeel seemed to pause, then deflate a little. "Dammit."

"Damn what?" The woman in question asked as she returned, her expression quizzical. "Something go wrong?"

"From her perspective." I replied, not above looking for a little amusement now that the battle was winding down. "She was hoping to-"

An armored hand grabbed my throat, choking me and cutting me off before I could get on a roll, Shyeel's voice tired. "Sorry, he's being an ass. The Collector ships are pulling off planet, the _Ha'diq_ are engaging them and hoping to board the damaged ones."

"That's..." She blinked as I whacked my friend's arm with my cane until she let go, "...good. No sign of Alliance reinforcements?"

"Nothing when we walked over here." Shyeel continued as I coughed and tried to clear my throat, "Our people are going to start grabbing all the salvage they can while our transports move back into position, then we'll be gone."

"Good." Williams exhaled, looking over her shoulder as the crowd continued its slow disintegration. "I think I talked them out of trying to storm the place, but they really don't like your corporation much. They kept insisting all of this had to be your fault, some kind of setup and extortion plan, maybe bumping your PR up a bit."

"Not surprising." I replied once I'd found my voice again, "We had to shoot our way out after things got rough when we were contracted here." When her expression darkened, I added, "To be fair, _they_ shot at us first. Lone gunmen sniped a few people on leave and some fucker nearly blew up one of our ships with the GTS weapons. Assholes refused to even fucking _investigate_ , and tried to stop us when I pulled everyone out and declared the contract void."

She regarded me silently for a few breaths, then let out a tired curse and rubbed at her forehead. "Christ... I hate the Traverse. Nothing is ever simple out here, everyone has an angle. Horizon records have _your_ people shooting at them in some bar fight, plus raping some bartender and refusing to turn your people over for investigation."

It was my turn to blink, frown, then I went through my greybox. "First was... yeah, report had it as a drunken mess, but we didn't think it was anything major. No one died, gunfire was just to get attention and make everyone shut up. Second one I've got no record of."

"I'm not accusing," A hand waved impatiently, "Between us I'm more likely to believe you than the local government."

I frowned, "That rat-faced fuck still in charge?"

Brown eyes blinked, then she snorted. "I'm guessing yes."

Turning a little, I frowned at the city. "Dammit. If Voya was down here I'd be tempted to send her hunting."

"Didn't need to hear that." The Spectre shook her head and got moving, slowing her pace when I haltingly turned and began to follow, her team and Shyeel following us. "What's your plan moving forwards?"

I eyed her through my visor, some of my good humor fading. "Why do you want to know?"

"I've been assigned to investigate the colonial attacks." She replied, "Now that I've done that, I can guess what my next mission will be, and from what you said in the CIC Aria has you on the same job."

"Fair point." I admitted. "We don't have much after this, to be honest. If the _Ha'diq_ can successfully grab a Collector IFF or mainframe, we might be able to find a way through the Omega-Four relay to hit them. Otherwise we're going to be stuck sitting around and waiting again."

Her lips twisted in a grimace, "Damn. All right, I have to chase down Sh... our _friend_ before you all bail _._ Is she still at Old Progress?"

"So far as I know." I paused, then added, "If you find anything on the Collectors, Spectre Severa has a way to get in touch with me. I'll route anything I find through her, to you."

Williams seemed to start, blinked a few times, then nodded cautiously. "I'll.. do that."

We broke apart as we neared the hangars, the Spectre and Alliance marines heading for the shadowed frame of the _SSV North Cape_ , the stealth frigate just visible as the twilight left its white and black hull in relative darkness. Running lights appeared as she pulled her helmet back on, probably calling ahead to give the crew some warning.

Nearby, our own hangar was once again a hive of activity, troops of soldiers appearing from the various buildings and hauling dead Collectors and wrecked Geth up to the surface. Piles of both were being left beside idling shuttles while other squads formed up and began marching smartly towards the dropships warming up at the base's small collection of landing pads. Trusting that Norik still had everything under control, and that he'd have alerted us if the naval battle was proceeding badly, we headed for the main bunker.

The front entrance was far wider and more impressive than the narrow little back-door we'd slipped in through originally, though I was more focused on getting my increasingly aching body down them intact to really appreciate that fact. I managed it, mostly thanks to the fact that the soldiers exiting the place with salvage were polite enough to move around me.

We ran into Miranda about half-way to our destination, the Operative heading for the surface, her battered helmet strapped to her belt. Her black armor wasn't quite as battered as mine, but it was at least as screwed up as Shyeel's, but the metal and ceramic couldn't compare to the dead expression in her eyes.

Right... Taylor.

I opened my mouth to call her name, closed it, then sighed and opened it again. "Miranda."

She actually twitched a little at her name, brilliant eyes blinking quickly as if she'd only just noticed that Shyeel and I were in her way. "...please don't tell me that you're going to be sympathetic. I don't believe that my sanity could handle such an unnatural sight."

Regarding her through my helmet, I smiled a little, "I can offer you a full bottle of your choice when we get back to Omega if that's more natural."

"Somewhat." She replied. "I am not a stranger to losing people, Heph... _Cieran_."

"Perhaps." I allowed, politely ignoring her stumbling over my name. "But you were doing a good impression of a Husk shuffling down this hallway."

Miranda regarded me without any real expression on her face, then twitched her chin in the slightest of polite refusals. "The naval engagement was still developing when I left the room; your engineers and their escorts continue to hold the room and indicated that they will be the last off-world. The surviving militia remain locked in their barracks."

"Good." I replied, turning and shambling into motion beside her, her own motions becoming sharper and more focused as she distracted herself. "No issues?"

"I didn't say that." She shook her head more sharply, "The pirates were able to board the ship your people damaged, but scuttling charges destroyed most of the critical sections. They were preparing to take it under tow."

I grunted neutrally. That was annoying, less so for me than it was for her. I, after all, knew that there was an intact IFF out there still. "Irritating."

"About as much as the fact that the pirates have also begun releasing shuttles that are heading down." Lips pressed together for a moment as she took a sharp breath, "They aren't heading for New or Old Progress, though I can guess as to their intent."

"Rape, pillage, and burn." I closed my eyes as another wave of exhaustion hit me, and I had to stop and lean on my cane. "Whatever loot they can grab will supplement their income, give them a chance to make this profitable past whatever Aria pays for salvage."

Miranda nodded, having stopped when I had. "I've already done the math. We can't stop them, not given the... precarious political position you occupy."

That was an entirely true statement for numerous reasons. The most important of which was Aria's dictate of peace between her vassals. Unless either _Ha'diq_ was so stupid as to attack my people directly, which they weren't, I would be signing my own death warrant to try and block what Aria would consider a perfectly legitimate raid. After all, the pirates had just saved the colony from being abducted by Collectors... a little tribute was a small price to pay for such aid.

"The Collectors?" Shyeel asked, stepping close and once more wrapping an arm around me, careful to keep her limb below my bruised ribs. "They pulling out?"

"Yes." Miranda got moving once more as well, the three of us heading for the main stairwell. "They formed up and are moving for the Relay, it should be clear for us to depart soon en-"

" _Director."_ Norik's voice cut across the radio before she could finished, " _We have an issue."_

I closed my eyes, "The Corsairs just came through the Relay."

There was an awkward pause. " _Um... yes sir, they did. There's a mess of an engagement going on there. How did you know?"_

"Lucky guess..." I sighed, "Tell the _Ha'diq_ I don't intend to get involved, and that I would appreciate it if they escorted my transports out of this goddess-damned system."

* * *

 _ **Closed Meeting Notes – Admiralty Board**_

 _Rael'Zorah; It is time to act, but what you propose is too aggressive Han. We need to follow the original plan, hit Haestrom first, then move with the pirates against Rannoch._

 _Han'Gerral: Rael, we're going to get one shot at this. If we fail we lose everything._

 _Zaal'Koris: All the more reason to not undertake this insanity then._

 _Han'Gerral: How a sniveling coward like you ever became an Admiral continues to confound me._

 _Zaal'Koris: As if that is any great difficulty._

 _Daro'Xen: If you three are going to measure your dicks, you can find a clean room and work it out while Shala and I actually get things done._

 _Rael'Zorah: ...Han has called the motion, we must vote. Is anyone else in favor of proceeding directly against Rannoch? … The motion fails four votes to one._

 _Han'Gerral: Fine... but we should at least withhold the disruption signals until the final attack. If the Geth are given time to develop a counter, they will do so, we saw that often enough during the rebellion._

 _Daro'Xen: I have no issues with such an order, it will give me more time to perfect it._

 _Shala'Raan: If we are all in agreement then, may I contact the Steel King and inform him that we will be ready to move the Flotilla against Haestrom on schedule? His pestering grows old, and he has threatened to bring Aria herself to our next conference._

 _Rael'Zorah: We are. The war to reclaim our worlds will begin soon... soon, we will all be building our children homes upon Rannoch's soil._

 _Zaal'Koris: Assuming any of us survive to do so._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Legend's War VI**_

 _The fighting begins to wind down in most areas, though the naval engagement continues as the late arrivals finally show up to the party. Next chapter will be from Shepard's point of view, and will cover the rest of the aftermath and withdrawal from Horizon. After that we'll be on another round of four interludes before we roll into the next operation._

 _Extra thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, always makes me happy to see a good amount of those. :)_

 _As several reviewers made comments on the subject, I've begun drawing up a rough outline for a Strange Bedfellows II that focuses on Cieran/Miranda. It will either be the original moments from the old outline (basically ME2 moments with Cie/Mira shipped), or it will be post-war like the first SB. No idea when I'll get around to it, but it's something that will likely occur. The next TWF chapter is also in progress, chapter title is Historical: Golden Chains_

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ ** _Thanks, Kat_**_

* * *

 _ ** _Review Responses:_**_

SomeDudeThatReads - The Collector base is going to be... involved, and no, not everyone is walking away from it. Not even close.

AngelForm - She's a bit annoying, and weird, but she's the kind of person whose company Cieran would enjoy. The _original_ AR outline and rough scenes, the very first, had Kasumi as his only real friend on the SR-2.

Griezz - How Ash ended up a Spectre will be explored in an interlude. Suffice to say that a lot of politics were involved on both ends.


	27. Operation: Legend's War VI

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Legend's War**

* * *

 **Shadow Broker Report – Matriarch Activity**

 _Broker,_

 _As requested, what follows is a simple compilation of activities, operations, and other actions undertaken by the Matriarch or her forces within the past six months. Per your standing policy, actions against the same have been included as well._

 _Terminus : The primary focus remains on Illium and the Xenthan Empire. The former has seen two mid-range CEO's assassinated by false-Broker assets, one hostile takeover of a prefab manufacturer by a T'Ravt backed investment group, and three attempted assassinations of high-level corporate leadership thwarted by I-Sec or the Eclipse._

 _Our data on Xenthan action is somewhat sketchier, but we believe she is heavily involved in bankrolling at least three rebel groups on Redcliffe, as well as a movement on Antiva to reform the Traverse Free State. We can confirmed that a lone Nightwind operative was killed by an Imperial Talon team on Anderfels two weeks ago, we believe she was attempting to assassinate the local viceroy._

 _Traverse/Rim : Currently the only known operation in this region was an effort to assassinate or capture Zaeed Massani in the Dark Rim. Once again she utilized a Republic Nightwind team, who were killed to the last by the mercenary and Warlord Cessa T'Auriel._

 _Citadel : Her Citadel targets remain... unusual. A lone-gunman attack on Admiral David Anderson by a purported Cerberus supporter (almost certainly a 'modified' human) was also accompanied by two false-Broker efforts to abduct or kill reporter turned producer Emily Wong, three efforts against Barla Von (who has requested another increase in hazard pay), one attempt to honey-trap C-Sec Captain Bailey, and a Batarian suicide bomber who claimed an Asari businesswoman._

 _Republics : Our lack of agents is still proving crippling in this area. We believe that she continues to expand her political influence within the Council of Matriarchs, and to a less extent within the Republican Assembly. Several major clans believed to be allied with her family have taken aim at what is left of the T'Soni business portfolio, acquiring significant assets for themselves in the process._

 _The still increasing focus on the 'dangers' of the Outcast in the Terminus in Asari-run newsgroups is almost certainly due to her influence, and she has attached her name to yet another petition to decrease Asari and Salarian representation within the Council fleet in favor of conscripting more assets from the Turians, Humans, and Elcor. Asari discontent with Council policy is sharply on the rise, with most believing that expanding to five seats was a mistake. This is combining with the anti-Eclipse sentiment to create a potentially volatile situation._

 _Agent Jackal_

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 **Date** : 11-14-2187  
 **Location** : Old Progress, Horizon, Iera System, Attican Traverse

* * *

"What now? The battle is effectively over so far as we are concerned." Senior Captain Ethar ul Raul shook his broad head, all four of his black eyes blinking in sequence. "Our concern is getting our people and what salvage we can carry off-world and out-system before the Corsairs can protest."

I exhaled through my helmet, making sure my voice remained even when I replied, "What about the civilians? I heard a report that the pirates are trying to get some pillaging and slaving done before they withdraw."

"They are." He confirmed, tilting his head a bit to the right and shifting his body-weight as well. The first meant... he was looking down on me, or judging me, but I had no idea what it meant in combination with the rest of it. "That is not our concern."

Kara stepped on my right, my doppelganger's features hidden behind her scorched helmet. "You're just going to let them enslave people? What about your Corporation's laws?"

Raul blinked his upper eyes, then let out a whistling exhalation between his needle teeth. "Aria is enforcing peace between her vassals and clients, enforced by the threat of her anger. We cannot engage unless provoked, and the _Ha'diq_ are being careful to avoid both New and Old Progress."

Dammit. I hated intelligent criminals, they were always the ones that did the real damage. The pirates wouldn't be so stupid as to provoke Kean, and he in turn would probably go out of his way to turn a blind eye to whatever they were doing.

"If you will excuse me," Raul continued, "The Director's orders are explicit; we are to withdraw as quickly as possible."

"I understand." I replied quietly, nodding as he gave me a half-bow and then moved off, shouting orders to his people as they began breaking down the command center than had been thrown up inside a simple barn on the outskirts of the city.

"You understand?" Kara asked, stepping a little closer to me. "Seriously? How many people are going to be abducted today because they can't be bothered to help?"

Turning my head and leaning back, I glanced at a holographic display still showing the orbital and atmospheric situation. A quick count of icons later and I replied, "A few hundred, no more. Not many ships risking the run, not with the AIS fleet still brawling with the Collectors at the Relay... they're as eager to leave as Kean is."

There was a tight breath. "A few hundred lives that could be saved, people are who going to be raped or worse."

"Yes." I twitched my head, wordlessly asking her to follow as I turned away from the mercenaries. "If you're asking the Blades to save them, you're also asking them to defy Aria... and how many of these mercs have loved ones on Omega?"

Even with the armor I could see her flinch in realization, but she commendably stuck to her morals. "They could bluff them, a squad or two to each city might be enough to make the pirates think twice about who Aria would blame."

"Maybe." I allowed, "But what if they don't think twice, and Aria blames Kean anyway? What if they pirates _do_ back down, but linger around long enough that the Corsairs make it to orbit before the Blades can retreat?"

Kara was silent for a few seconds, simply processing that as we walked. There wasn't anything wrong with her intelligence, or, from what I could tell, with her heart... but the goddamned assholes who had blasted her mind had robbed her of _experience._ Whatever Cerberus had been drip-feeding into her head via hypnotic therapy seemed to be entirely related to tactical combat situations and Alliance politics, leaving me with an utterly brilliant but shockingly naive soldier.

A lot like a Human woman version of Grunt really... small wonder the two were inseparable. Thank God the two of them soaked up information like sponges, otherwise the learning process would have been a lot more aggravating than it already was.

"You're saying it's complicated." She finally spoke as we neared the farmhouse, the Krogan in question leaning against the wall outside. He was still grinning somewhat manically despite the fact that his armor was rent and splattered with his own blood. "That it's like choosing between _maybe_ saving a bystander and your team, or _certainly_ saving your team."

"That's not a bad comparison." I admitted, "They _might_ be able to save the colonists, but trying that could have them lose everything."

There was a small nod. "A few hundred civilians against all of his people... Kean would never take that risk. Not even if it was a few hundred thousand, his math doesn't work that way."

"He wouldn't," I agreed, "And this is one of the few times where... I agree with the decision if not the math," and Christ but even that made me feel _dirty_ to admit, and I almost rushed to clarify, "But it's not always about the numbers. Sometimes you have to accept that you can't save everyone, you have to live with the self-loathing that comes with abandoning people, because it's the _right call._ But you also have to know when to ignore the odds and do what's _right,_ no matter what the math is, no matter what the risk is."

Grunt frowned, clearly having heard the last. "How are you supposed to know which to do?"

"Experience." I replied, "The same as everything else, you have to learn from your mistakes. We can talk more on that later, for now-"

My instructions were cut off by a heavy roar overhead, my head snapping up to see the curved, deadly shape of a stealth frigate flaring her engines as she rapidly decelerated, clearly intending to land in the nearby field. The black lettering on her flanks identified her as the _SSV North Cape_ , and from the speed at which she was coming down it was clear that Ash wasn't about to let me slip away without a confrontation.

"Secure the building." I amended, "Make sure there's no Blades around, and that none of her people can listen in. Where's Mordin?"

"Pyjak ran off." Grunt supplied. "Said something about inspecting the bodies."

I sighed, "Kara, see if you can get him on comms."

While she nodded and stepped away, I took a few steps forwards to watch as the _SR-4_ slowly settled down, her landing gear groaning as they took the weight of the ship. They hadn't even finished flexing before the ramp finished dropping, revealing seven figures quickly striding down to the ground.

The back four were evidently Ash's escort detail, an N6 team identifiable thanks to the single white stripe beside the red on their black armor. All of them had their rifles held loosely in their hands, clearly ready for trouble if not actively looking for it, which was a contrast to the young man walking on my old friend's left.

He'd removed his helmet, revealing a handsome Indian features, his own armor bearing the markers for an N7 Lieutenant. I didn't recognize him, he had likely passed the program along with Ash and James while I had been... out. In contrast with the fairly relaxed team behind him, and James' lackadaisical posture, he was clearly on edge, finger drumming quickly against a shotgun on his waist.

For her part Ash was out in front, the blue armor of the Spectre office making her stand out from the Alliance soldiers around her, her black hair whipping around a bit as the ship's engines finished throttling back.

"Building clear?" She asked as soon as she drew close.

"Just my partner." I replied, turning and moving with her towards the house. "Your team?"

"Dhian, James, stay outside with the rest of... the commando team. I have to talk with this one privately." Ash raised her voice slightly, stopping any protests before they could start. "I'll contact you when we're finished."

The young man, Dhian evidently, grimaced openly but replied, "Yes ma'am."

We continued on while the six of them broke off, joining Kara and Grunt near the front door while the pair of us headed inside. Liara rose from where she had been sitting at the kitchen table, setting aside a tablet that she had been reading. Bracing myself a bit for the coming conversation, I moved to stand beside her, reaching up to remove my helmet and set it on the old wooden table.

Ash's eyes narrowed considerably as she saw my scarred features, "Liara, you're sure she's... _her_?"

There was a sigh as Liara shook her head, "I am entirely sure. Our bond was... damaged but there, that isn't the kind of thing that can be faked."

"It's me Ash." I crossed my arms, feeling a bit of tightness in my left shoulder as I did. "She melded with me soon as she saw me, just to be sure."

She regarded me flatly for a long few seconds, then nodded. I relaxed slightly and closed my eyes, which gave me absolutely no warning when an armored fist broke my nose. Reeling backwards, I felt more than heard Liara's shock and anger, stumbling back in my bondmate's arms and gasping as Ashley shook her hand a bit

 _"That_ ," she informed me, "Was for not fucking telling me."

"Commander Williams." Liara growled from over my shoulder, "She couldn't risk-"

"Couldn't _risk_ it?" My former subordinate all but spat the words. "Couldn't _risk_ talking to me? After all the shit we went through together? All the faith and trust I showed you?"

I flinched, and from the way Liara did as well, my emotions were probably screaming across our link. A gesture saw my bondmate carefully let me go, the pair of us moving to present a united front. Reaching up I checked my nose, feeling dull spikes of pain, but when I spoke my voice sounded normal, "Ash..."

"Don't _Ash_ me." Strands of black hair flew free from her bun as she furiously shook her head. "Why the hell am I the last one to know about this? Where the fuck did Garrus come from? Where the hell have _you_ been, Liara? I thought you were all _dead_ , _mourned_ you, so you'd better have a good reason for me finding you working with Cerberus and the Silver fucking Blades."

I couldn't help but wince again, the uncharacteristic cursing adding a lot of weight to her anger. "I-"

She cut me off effortlessly, "The Cerberus woman, Lawson, said you were clinically dead. What happened?"

"Broke my neck when the _Normandy_ landed on Alchera." I replied, throttling my own anger, reminding myself that she had every valid reason in the book to lose her temper. "Body froze, a Broker team cut me out of the wreck and threw me into stasis. They were going to sell me to the Collectors, Cerberus interrupted the deal."

"Along with ourselves." Liara added, her own voice wavering between her normal calm tones and something more defensive. "Lawson personally rescued us from the assassins on the Citadel, and we agreed to help her in exchange. She took Kaya with her, to revive her, while we... tracked down my father."

Ashley's arms didn't uncross, but her own anger seemed to diminish as she listened to the Maiden explain what had happened over the last couple of years. She wasn't overly surprised to learn that Garrus had been the Archangel on Omega, and seemed to remain annoyed that neither he, Nikita, or Liara had thought to contact her after she'd become a Spectre. Liara's revelation that they hadn't told Wrex either didn't soften the blow any, if anything that seemed to make her all the more irritated.

Liara's defense that her father had asked them to keep their survival quiet, to make it harder for the Matriarch's... _cult_ to track them, didn't seem to hold any weight either. She needed far less of a recap on the Cerberus schism, evidently she had been working with Spectre Severa on excising the terrorist group from within the Alliance's colonies while Kean and Lawson had been working in the Traverse and Terminus.

"Calling Sparatus alone was probably the right move." She exhaled when we got that far, planting her hands on the kitchen table. Liara had given up standing to sit, leaving us mere Humans to remain upright. "But not reaching out to me, or Admiral Anderson, was stupid as hell."

"I didn't want to have to make you choose." I replied evenly, "I know how hard it is to balance loyalty to the SA, and your Spectre duties, and-"

"Bullshit." Ash growled. "You all but ignored any order from the SA you didn't like the moment the Council accepted you."

I winced, "It wasn't like that, but this isn't about what I did. I didn't want to put _you_ in the place of having to choose."

She all but threw her hands up. "Choose _what_ , Shepard? I'm not a starstruck teenager, I wouldn't have thrown away my commission and run out to the Terminus. I'd have done what I could to _help_ from where I was, and expected the same in return. You could have at least given me the specs for whatever had those bugs ignoring you! If you'd been even a little slower in showing up I wouldn't be here to bitch you out!"

Another wince as her barb dug into my skin, especially because I didn't really have anything to retaliate with. Lawson and Sparatus had wanted me to keep my identity quiet, yes, but Ashley was someone I should have trusted. Even if I hadn't explicitly told her who I was, I could have at least had Liara or Aethyta find a way to get her the Seeker-countermeasures. Fed her what intelligence we had on the Collectors and Geth.

"I made a mistake." I closed my eyes again and shook my head, "I'm sorry Ash, I _should_ have trusted you, should have contacted you."

I heard the floorboards creek a little as she shifted her weight, "Why didn't you? No bullshit excuses, I want the real reason."

Liara's hand found mine, the armor concealing the warmth of her skin, but I appreciated the gesture all the same. My bondmate spoke quietly on my behalf, "Because she was _dead_ , and due to that her body was... extremely modified. It took her nearly a month to be able to hug me without fearing she would break my ribs or spine. Between that and reconnecting with me, and the others, we were more than slightly busy dealing with the others."

My eyes opened in time to see Ash close hers, her own hands falling to rest on the back of a chair. It took her a good twenty or thirty seconds before she replied, "I'm not going to accept your apology right now, but I won't punch you again either. No more secrets though."

"I can't tell you everything, not here." I shook my head, "But I'll give you everything as soon as I can."

"Guess that's as good as I'll get." She rolled her head a little, cracking her neck. "What can you tell me right now? What's your specific assignment from Sparatus?"

"Evaluate the Collector threat and deal with it if I believe it's a galactic one." I waved my left hand around us, "So, going to be busy with that for a while. Secondary is keeping an eye on Kean and Lawson to make sure they don't get up to anything, but that's proving to be a waste of time."

Ash grimaced a little, "Shep... those two are real pieces of work, you know that right? You don't even want to know how high Lawson's C-Sec bounty is, and I'm pretty sure the Justicars still want Kean's head even if he technically doesn't have a warrant for that mess on Benihi."

"And," Liara added quietly, "The Corsairs want him dead or imprisoned for running off with Jacqueline."

"Them too." She nodded. "Where is the pyschotic biotic anyway?"

I sighed, "She's with the other task force, trying to protect New Canton against another Collector-Geth group... and yes, Ash, I know that neither one of them is exactly on the side of the angels, but having gotten to know them, I wouldn't say that either of them is outright evil either."

"What would you say then?" She asked.

"I would say that they're people fighting against the Reapers." I replied, "And that I need them, even if I might not like some of... well, a _lot_ of the things they do."

Ash sighed, "Lot of that going around, the having to work with people you don't like."

I was opening my mouth to ask what she meant by that when my omni-tool flickered with an incoming call, Liara's lighting up at the same time. She flicked a finger before I could, answering, "Kean, what do you need?"

" _Normandy is picking us up."_ He replied, " _Wrap up your reunion, we'll be arriving in in fifteen. First transports are already lifting."_

"Confirmed." She replied, cutting the line and pushing her chair back. "Ashley, will we be able to contact you through Spectre Severa's channel?"

"Kean said as much." Ashley nodded, "I'd try and help but the AIS has already made it clear I can only issue commands to their people if it's relevant to a Council assignment."

My lips twisted unpleasantly as I stepped aside, giving Liara room to stand. "Be careful around those spies Ash. I lost count of the number of times they tried to get me to abuse my office, and Lawson says they're filled with Cerberus supporters."

"I am, and I know." There was a very tired shake of her head. "We... can talk about that later. For now you should get clear, and I have to start working on cleanup and a report for the Council. I'll leave you out of it."

"Thank you." I replied, meaning it. "I'll be in touch."

"You better be."

* * *

 _ **Helmet-Cam Recording; AIS Operative Zeta-Four**_

 _AIS Command: Sitrep on the state of the colony._

 _Zeta-Four: Horizon is a mess. Current estimate is thirty-two percent of the population has been abducted, including half of the militia. The government seems to be intact, for what that is worth._

 _AIS Command: Very little. The attackers are confirmed as Geth and Collectors... what evidence exists on planet?_

 _Zeta-Four: Not much. The mercenaries and pirates cleaned out as much as they could when they bolted, and I think the colonists are grabbing what's left. We might get a couple of corpses but I doubt we'll pick up any weapons unless you want to pay for them... or authorize alternative action._

 _AIS Command: That will be discussed. Priority is to locate any surviving agents and interrogate them as to what precisely happened. We need confirmation that Cerberus was present in addition to the Terminus assets._

 _Zeta-Four: The Butcher is convinced._

 _AIS Command: The Butcher is a thug, not an agent. Confirmation is required._

 _Zeta-Four: Understood, I'll see what I can find. Any further orders?_

 _AIS Command: Negative, contact us as per the schedule._

 _Zeta-Four: Confirmed Command, Zeta-Four out._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Legend's War VII**_

 _I know this one is short, the idea is to go with a partial interlude style for the aftermath chapters. Next one will also likely be around this long, and will be from Miranda's point of view._

 _Here we see an Ash who is rather angry and not overly forgiving, but is still willing to listen and have a conversation. We also get a small look into Shepard's head and a glimpse at how Kara is doing after having her brain thrown into a blender._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ ** _Thanks, Kat_**_

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

TheRedMezek → The short version? Client state; Aria skinned them alive and they were desperate enough to accept it. (Mostly, they're dragging their feet and letting pirates die for a reason)

The long version and the particulars are actually going to be explored in the next operation.


	28. Operation: Legend's War VII

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Legend's War**

* * *

 **Silver Blade Archives: Manor Complex, Khar'shan Minor**

 _T'Laria, Straza: Honored Matria, it is good to-_

 _T'Laria, Trena: You will knock that shit off or I will shove a knife up your ass._

 _Straza: Only up my ass? I remember you being far more inventive._

 _Trena: … *snorts*, missed you too cousin._

 _Straza: Didn't miss me that much, more than a century and you didn't even call._

 _Trena: I didn't fucking call anyone, don't take it personally._

 _Straza: I didn't and don't. Honestly I'm more surprised that you bloody came back at all. Athame's ass, after what happened..._

 _Trena: We can't change the tides and the shit they brought with. Let's just work on what's in front of us, you see the recruits?_

 _Straza: I did. Not exactly Night Whisperer materials cousin. Too many short, flat-chested little clanless, how the fuck are they supposed to seduce anyone?_

 _Trena: My fucking apologies, we don't have an endless supply of big-titted whores, and training them is what you're for._

 _Straza: Hey now, don't sell yourself short. You were at least a medium-titted whore._

 _Trena: First demonstration we do I'm kicking your skinny ass._

 _Straza: You can try. Where you want to start? Their callisthenics any good?_

 _Trena: All passed our basic training, so yeah. Figure we'll go with knife work and other murderous shit on even days, alternate it with the investigative and paranoid crap._

 _Straza: Ah, I wondered why you were bringing in Captain Vasir, and why she's meeting with a few of her senior investigators._

 _Trena: ...you fucking hacked my comms. And hers._

 _Straza: I am a very good Night Whisperer, it's what we do, and what your collection of misfit whores out there will once we turn them into knock-off copies._

 _Trena: I really didn't miss this shit... or you._

 _Straza: I know. To work, or did you want to find your bondmate for a threesome first?_

 _Trena: I am not nearly drunk enough for that to sound good. Let's get this crap over with._

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 **Date** : 11-14-2187  
 **Location** : _Normandy II_ , Attican Traverse

* * *

"The last of the pirate fleet hit the relay." I spoke quietly as I moved to take a seat in the observation lounge, grimacing as my aching body protested the act of sitting. "The Corsairs let them go with just a few desultory shots, but there were no actual issues. EDI indicated you received a report from New Canton?"

Kean exhaled a soft plume of white smoke from where he was sitting on the couch, reveling in the one room where I allowed him to use his pipe. Like me he had taken the time to change into a simple uniform, the lack of armor as unusual a sight as ever upon his person. "Ayle cleared the colony, very few civilians were taken, mostly from isolated homesteads. Casualties were heavier than I would have liked, but still within our middle-case projections. She's leaving the extra troops in place to help rebuild, and to give them some downtime. Fleet's withdrawing back to our little base by Nagato."

I nodded slightly, lifting my glass and sipping from the rich wine within. "And Ul Massa herself?"

"Meeting us at Omega, with the other Lancers teams." He rolled a shoulder in a slight shrug. "We'll have some downtime while Aria's people check the ship the _Ha'diq_ captured, see if the scuttling charges failed or missed anything."

Doubtful but worth checking, especially as we would once again be in a holding pattern, waiting for the Collectors to make their next move. "Any other news?"

Green eyes narrowed as he flicked them to the view-port, his expression becoming... tense. He took a long pull from his pipe, more _chehala_ vapor escaping from his mouth as he replied. "I am supposed to report to Afterlife as soon as we return. She didn't give any details."

"Nothing from your other contacts?" I asked.

Black and blue hair shifted as he shook his head, "Nothing. So far as I know it's business as usual."

I frowned, lifting my drink to my lips before responding. "A simple debriefing?"

He gave me a rather arch look, "You honestly think it will be that simple?"

"No." I admitted, "But I am not sure what else she could want with you. You are accomplishing her directives, are playing nice with her pet pirates, and if she was going to react to your support of the Eclipse Confederation I would have thought she'd have already done so."

"Aria is..." He closed his eyes and exhaled heavily, "Patient. It could be that, could be anything really, no point in speculating. Ayle will be available for you to work with while I'm there."

Meaning that he had given her orders to work with us as best she could, on the chance that Aria elected to kill him for one reason or another. Of course such a thing would be extremely unpleasant and difficult for everyone involved. Kean had just enough Humanity, or perhaps had absorbed enough Asari mores, to make working with him tolerable despite his otherwise Batarian by way of Xentha attitude. Ul Massa had no such saving grace; she was Batarian, through and through. She would never work with Shepard and I as equal partners, the disparity in our power bases was simply too great.

"What's the reports on the wounded?" Kean continued, breaking my silent musings.

"Doctor Chakwas remains a miracle worker, though she has attempted to give the lion's share of the credit to Doctor Solus' triage work." I replied, assuming he would want to know about his companions first. "T'Donna is stable and recovering, but a decision will still have to be made in regards to cybernetic replacement or natural healing. Chi was coming out of surgery not long ago, no complications in repairing her ribcage, though she will need some time to recover."

"Good." He puffed on his pipe for a few moments, expression distant. "I'll have to talk with Illyan. The others?"

I shrugged, "Vakarian was not as wounded as originally thought, and I believe he is already up and around with a few new scars to show for it."

His expression flattened in obvious distaste; I didn't think Kean would have minded in the slightest if the Geth missile had killed the former detective. "Of course he is..."

I smiled slightly, "Korolev is stable and resting, but she'll need further surgery to prep for cybernetic replacements. Goto needed the most work, and while she is stable at the moment, she'll likely need several additional sessions in the surgery suite to repair the damage. It was a minor miracle that she survived at all."

Kean grunted softly. "Those biotics were vicious."

Indeed. A mere two of them had been enough to destroy EDI's platform and... kill Jacob in the opening seconds of their arrival, and Kasumi had seen both of her legs badly burned in emerald warpfire before having her back and pelvis broken when she was hurled into a steel beam. Our only saving grace had been that, for all their raw offensive power, their barriers were rather weak and unfocused. T'Soni had overwhelmed one, allowing Williams to kill it, while Shepard had taken the other down nearly as quickly on her own.

A glance over my shoulder confirmed that the door remained shut behind us, but I lowered my voice all the same. "Do you know why Shepard does not fully utilize her biotic potential?"

He blinked at me, a nearly Human expression of surprise going with his Batarian body language. "I had assumed she didn't have much."

"We measured her baselines while she was being rebuilt," I shook my head, "While she is not at my levels she would be in the top ten percent of living Human biotics, at least in terms of raw power."

More smoke curled and shifted as he breathed, considering that. "I've only ever seen her use them for barriers, or weak throws to divert grenades. She went beyond that?"

"She lost her temper when we lost..." I hit a mental hitch and stumbled, "...people. She broke one of the Collector's barriers apart with warpfire spears, three of them in rapid succession, before ripping its weapon out of its hands with a pull. She killed it conventionally after, but those are not techniques that can be used so precisely without practice."

"Odd." His thoughtful expression deepened somewhat. "She use them before or after?"

"Not at all after." I shook my head, "Not even when it would have been advantageous to do so. I was... not in a proper frame of mind to question her, and everyone else was occupied securing the area and tending to the wounded."

Kean ignored my second pause, just as he'd politely ignored the first. "You believe it's a danger to the operation?"

"I believe that we are all going to have to be at our best when we go through the Omega-Four relay." I replied firmly. "That holding back anything could get members of our team killed, or cause our mission to fail."

"Hmm." He hummed softly, puffing once on his pipe to punctuate his words. "You want me to be the asshole to confront her about it, or did you want to leave that to Atefah?"

"I believe that Kelly would have greater odds of succeeding in a way that does not fracture our alliance." I shook my head. "Not every issue can be resolved by blunt and tactless questioning."

"We'll have to agree to disagree on that." A shoulder rolled, "Speaking of your psychologist, she corner you yet?"

I sighed, "EDI?"

" _Miss Chambers remains in your quarters awaiting your arrival."_ The AI provided helpfully, " _Would you like me to inform her that you are not coming?"_

"No." The last thing I needed was her deciding to come down here, especially with Kean present. While I would... admit that my mental state was not the best given what had occurred on the planet, a psychological exam was not something that I wanted him present for. "Tell her that I will be up within the hour, once I have finished speaking with the Director."

" _Affirmative."_

Kean lifted an eyebrow, "What else do we have to discuss?"

"Nothing," I replied, "I merely wish to take some time to relax before I have to deal with Chambers' well-intentioned prying into my emotions."

He considered that for a few seconds before shrugging, laconically puffing on his pipe and saying nothing further. I finished my wine and rose, refilling it at the small bar before returning to my chair. The silence that Kean offered was almost a relief compared to what had come before, especially Shepard's good hearted attempts to comfort me.

Jacob had been... a good man, in every sense of those words. He hadn't been perfect, of course, had his share of flaws, but he had always tried to rise above them. To do what he thought was right in any given situation regardless of the personal cost, always putting others before himself, yet never allowing his ego or pride in his skills to overcome him. It had made him the ideal marine, the ideal Corsair, and when the Alliance had disappointed him too many times with broken promises, the ideal Cerberus officer.

He had been too good for me, even understanding when I had broken off our short lived relationship. He'd never once brought it up, never attempted to rekindle what I had ruined, he had simply continued to be the model subordinate, and to be as much of a friend as our respective positions allowed.

My next glass of wine came and went, as did the one after. Kean remained silent throughout, staring at the stars, seemingly oblivious as he lazily smoked.

"You hated him, didn't you?" The question came unbidden to my lips, the wine finally defeating my enhanced organs an interminable time later, leaving me feeling... not drunk, but far more relaxed. "Jacob, I mean."

"He hated me, but I didn't care about him one way or the other." He offered, "The organization he seemed to worship I have far less of an opinion of."

I frowned, then shook my head as I realized that he was referring to the Corsairs rather than Cerberus. "Why?"

Kean said nothing for several seconds, letting more smoke curl around him, then he sighed. "I am a monster, Miranda. I kill people for money, execute prisoners as warnings to others, profit from drug trafficking, and worse... but I don't lie about it. I don't pretend that I do it all out of some greater good, for some glorious cause. Maybe the Corsairs were something a good person could take pride in, a long time ago, but these days? They're a racist pirate gang with state funding."

I considered that in turn, and frowned as I realized that I could not quite refute his argument. He _was_ an asshole, what a decent, civilized being might call a monster, but he was extremely up front and honest about _why_ he did what he did.

"They were something to take pride in, once." I sighed, remembering... if not better times, than simpler ones. "The sword of the Alliance, the shield of our colonies. It wasn't until after the Blitz that things truly fell apart. Cerberus was part of that, but much of it... the AIS wanted a combat arm, and the politicians were all too happy to fund an organization taking the fight to the Hegemony, to the pirates."

After that, it had been simple inertia. When they had run low on legitimate opponents, and the Admirals of the main fleets had begun to question why so much of their budget was being quietly earmarked for the AIS fleet, they had begun to go after more... questionable targets.

Independent colonies that had so much as refueled a pirate ship, knowingly or not, were marked as places to clear. Any Batarian colony, regardless of its nominal allegiances or political leanings, was a viable location to 'check for contraband'. Such actions had stirred up anger, hatred, and a desire to fight back amongst those who had once celebrated Corsair victories, drawing more pirates back into the very areas that the Corsairs had cleared as they found populations all too willing to join their crews, to fix their ships, to buy their loot.

The truly sad thing was that Cerberus had almost nothing to do with their corruption... We had simply profited from it.

"I think you should stop drinking." Kean's cool voice broke my from my reveries, "You're actually conversing with me about something personal to you, can't be a good sign."

"You know everything about me." I reminded him.

"No," He corrected me, "I know a few highlights and I have a handle on your personality, I don't have your full life-story in my head."

I blinked at that. "You don't?"

Lips curled into something vaguely resembling a smile. "Did I ever say that I did?"

He... hadn't, the ass. He'd just allowed me to assume that he knew far more about me than he actually did. Well deserved irritation burned away some of the pleasant haze that had surrounded my brain, but the door behind me opened before I could begin interrogating him to discover what he _actually_ knew about me, and thusly attempt to figure out just who the Matriarch had used to learn such things.

Chi didn't walk into the room so much as she shuffled through the hatchway, her body language screaming that she was high on more than a few painkillers. While she still wore armored boots and uniform pants, everything above the waist had been removed saved for extensive bandaging around her chest, leaving her face and arms exposed... along with her extremely dilated pupils.

"Are you even supposed to be up?" Kean asked, though his tones indicated he already knew the answer.

In reply, the Quarian woman simply staggered over to the couch, sitting for all but a moment before bringing her entire body up and stretching out across it, leaving her head in his lap. The mercenary sighed, but there was an undercurrent of fondness to it as he reached down to stroke her hair. Chi's eyes all but rolled back at the touch, and she seemed to fall asleep more or less instantly.

"She probably won't remember walking in here." I warned him, setting aside my wine glass in a silent admission that he was correct about my drinking.

"She won't." A new voice cut in as T'Voth arrived, the branded Asari making a beeline for the bar. "I also take no responsibility for her hauling her ass out of her bed in medical."

Kean simply snorted, "Illyan awake as well?"

"For the thirty seconds it took her to inhale some food." The Asari shook her head a she picked out a bottle of Noverian Rum. "She's already out again. You want a drink?"

"Why not..."

"Frankenstein?" And Christ did she mangle the word, "You want some more wine, or something a bit harder?"

I was opening my mouth to politely decline when EDI's synthesized voice emerged from the room's speakers once more, " _Miss Lawson, my apologies, but you have received several priority messages from Peregrine base. Additionally, Doctor Solus and Commander Shepard both request moments of your time... and Miss Chambers is still waiting in your quarters."_

"So..." T'Voth drawled, "Something hard."

My lips parted to refuse, then I surprised myself by sighing and nodding. "Please. I will likely need it."

* * *

 **ANN – Breaking News**

 _We interrupt our coverage of the debates for breaking news from the Attiacan Traverse. There is confirmation of additional attacks on Human colonies within the region, including both Horizon and Ferris Fields. It is important to note that, at this time, we have only preliminary data._

 _What is known at this point is that Horizon was attacked by a coordinated group of Terminus forces, including two Batarian 'Pirate Lords' as well as several regiments of the Silver Blade Corporation. There are also unconfirmed reports that Geth warships were present before or after the attack. Damage and loss of life is reported to be very heavy, and we will of course bring you further information as we receive it._

 _Worryingly, there is currently not contact with the colony at Ferris Fields, which was in the process of recovering from a brutal civil war purported to have been instigated by the SBC shortly after their Director tried and failed to negotiate a protection contract with the colony. So far no governing body has released any statements on the attacks, neither has the SBC's media relations unit on Illium._

* * *

 _ **End Operation: Legend's War**_

 _And we are now through half of the story's operations, making decent progress through. We'll have the standard four interludes before we move into the next operation; Mechanical Accelerant. Planned interludes are_ _ _The Masquerade, Stoic Faith, Caged Princess, and Ragged Ice, so two new points of view to go with two that I have used before.__

 _ _Not much in this chapter overall, beyond showing that Miranda is taking Jacob's death rather hard, updates on the wounded, and the last bits of the battle.__

 _ _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**__

 ** _ **Thanks, Kat**_**

* * *

 ** _ **Story Recs**_**

 _ _For those interested, Tusken1602 and I are wrapping up another crossover between our verses. This one is name Herald's Arrival and can be found under his profile (he is doing the core writing, I am editing). The plot is the inverse of our last effort, with his primary OC being placed into the AR verse.__

 _ _Other general shout-outs go to Living An Indoctrinated Dream by Aberron, The Old Ways; Extra by Vo0D0o-DOL, The Corsair Saga I: The Steward by twentyitalians, and Outlander by GreaterGoodIreland.__

* * *

 _ _ **Review Responses:**__

 _FenrisulfrWotanbane_ _\- Thane and Samara will be appearing, but not until after the next operation. Also remember that two additional years have passed, so Thane is more in his ME3 state than his ME2 one. As for the Citadel, stranger things have happened._


	29. Interlude VIII: Manchurian Candidate

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude VIII: Manchurian Candidate**

* * *

 _ **Caged Princess**_

 _(Tali'zorah)_

 **Date** : 11-22-2187  
 **Location** : Liveship _Rayya,_ Migrant Fleet, near the Perseus Veil

* * *

I looked up from my work when there was a quiet knock on my door, turning away from the disassembled drone that I had been upgrading. "Who is it?"

" _Admiral Koris, Miss Zorah_." The muffled voice came through just fine, and I relaxed slightly upon hearing it.

"Come in sir." Swinging myself around, I stayed seated on my bed rather than rise. Not because I didn't respect the Admiral, but because my quarters was cramped enough as it was without two of us trying to fit into the small space between the walls and door. The fact that I _had_ a door, and an actual cabin, was fairly luxurious on its own, but I'd have taken the extra space provided by a cargo-bay cube rather then the privacy that this tiny box offered.

Not that my father had asked for my opinion.

Admiral Koris stepped inside as the old door hissed aside, though he wasted little time in shutting it behind him. His suit was battered and patched, a far cry from the perfect attire that the other officers of his rank wore, and he'd accented it with a scarf and partial kilt of the same coloration as his _reik._ Civilian clothing for the leader of the Civilian Fleet. "Staying occupied I see. Feeling better then?"

"I've _been_ better." I fought the urge to growl, failed utterly, and gave in to the childish anger. "I've been _fine_ for the last two months. I should be out there."

"Now now Miss Zorah," The leader of the Civilian fleet chastised me as a grandfather would, even as he shifted his body a little to the left and got to work pulling a small device from his belt. "Your father just wants to be sure, your injuries were rather severe."

There was a tinny whine as the jammer activated, blocking whatever listening devices my father or Xen had put into my room, leaving me free to reply with real bitterness. "He wants me shut up you mean. Can't have the Admiral's daughter siding with his political opponent."

Koris sighed, his body language betraying his fatigue. "He does care about you Tali, dearly. It's just... not a healthy kind of love."

"Love? Love!?" I waved my arms around us, "I'm all but in a _cell_! I find new listening devices every time I come back! He doesn't even respond to my messages, Auntie Raan doesn't even visit anymore, and all of my transfer requests have been denied by Admiral Gerrel!"

The Admiral regarded me politely throughout the rant, it wasn't the first time he'd listened to me vent, and simply waited as I continued on for several more minutes. I managed to calm myself eventually, sipping from the water straw in my helmet, trying to will myself to relax. "I'm sorry Admiral... I'm just... so frustrated."

"I know, Tali, I know." He assured me, "That's why I'm here."

I tried to find some spec of hope in the dark plains that were left in my heart, "Did... _they_ finally respond?"

He hesitated, then nodded slightly. "Yes."

My back hit the bulkhead behind me as I gasped, a confusing melee of emotions running through me; surprise, confusion, hope all warring to win me over. "When? What did they say? Can we negotiate?"

"They remain resolute in their disbelief that the Admiralty will ever accept peace." The old Admiral shook his head tiredly, "But I do believe that I convinced them that such a thing may not apply to our people as a whole."

"That's..." Incredible. "...good, but how are we going to negotiate? My father and Han won't ever accept peace. Do they have a plan to deal with the Heretics?"

Zaal actually chuckled as he held a hand up, "Slow down girl, my old mind isn't quite as quick as yours anymore. One question at a time."

That was a lie but I bit my tongue and forced myself to nod, "Sorry."

"Your last question first, I do believe that they have a plan but they are not willing to share just yet. I don't particularly blame them for the secrecy." He sighed, "They actually contacted me several days ago, but I needed some time to make arrangements before I could speak with you. We'll go over those later."

I nodded, "What about the other Admirals?"

"Leave them to me." His helmet shook once, "I need you focused on something else right now."

I blinked. "Um, respectfully Admiral, all I have is time. I can multi-task if you need me to do theory work."

"No." The Admiral replied, "Because in nine minutes I am going to conscript you into the Civilian Fleet and get you out of here. The others will revoke the order of course, but it won't matter if you aren't in the Flotilla anymore."

Hope faded into something else, my hands wringing as I realized what he was saying, "They'll... put you on trial for this, strip you of your rank. Sending me to negotiate with the Geth... endangerment, illegal use of power-"

"And a dozen other charges." He agreed, "But it has to be done. The Geth, the actual Geth, know you, have requested you personally in fact, along with an impartial mediator. Your assignment will be to locate the mediator and bring them to a specified location to negotiate."

I bit my lip softly. This was something much more than I thought it would be, even in my most fevered dreams. Admiral Koris would definitely be arrested by the others, leaving me without any official authority even if I _did_ get out of the fleet before my father's marines stopped us. I would probably be exiled, any negotiating I managed would be pointless, and I'd be helpless to do anything but watch as the suicidal attack on Rannoch went ahead. Even _if_ we managed to win such a fight, I didn't want to imagine how few of us would be left, or what Aria would do if she thought we were no longer worth keeping as a client state.

"Tali, I know it's a risk, for both of us." The Admiral took a small step forwards, his voice becoming low and earnest. "But ask yourself what will happen if we do nothing, if you stay in this room tinkering with your toys, and I continue to be ignored?"

It would all happen anyway... we would just be along for the ride.

Your father locked you in your room as an adult Tali, get a hold of yourself. You've been sitting in here long enough, wallowing in your own misery. Shepard would be ashamed that you haven't tried harder to escape already... make her proud. "My life for the Flotilla, Admiral."

He nodded sharply, his hand pulling a small data core from another pocket, "This has the details of your assignment, the mediator's name and where the Geth believe she can be found, and a way to get in contact with someone I trust in case my own plans fall apart."

I took it, quickly scooting forwards as he backed away, giving me room to start grabbing equipment from concealed drawers. "The marines won't let me leave this deck. What's our plan?"

"Kal'Reeger vas Rayya was transferred aboard yesterday, and is standing sentry at lift four. He'll let you pass." Koris shifted back as much a he could, all but pressing his back into the door as I started pulling belts and sections of armor over my suit. "From there, make your way to Deck Twenty; the _Calaruush_ is docked there and waiting for you, with a crew I trust implicitly."

My hands hesitated in the act of pulling my old pistol out, "The airlock on twenty is a long way from the lifts."

"It was the only available location." His head shook once, "If they attempt to stop you, tell them you are carrying that core to the ship for me. If they don't let you pass... you will have to improvise."

Improvising... the last time I'd had to improvise I'd used mining charges to bring down a wrecked skyscraper on top of a husked Asari that had been trying to murder me, killing it instead; along with three of my people who'd given their lives to keep it in place long enough for me to actually get the explosives in place. My determination didn't fade, but I did make sure that I had a few scrambler-grenades ready to go, and checked that a few disabling omni-tool programs were loaded and assigned.

I was doing this to save my people, not kill them.

"You will be in command of the ship and the mission." He continued as I checked everything for a final time. "Your first goal should be to get out of this system and away from the Flotilla, once you are secure you can review the core and decide on your next move."

"Understood." I exhaled sharply and nodded as I sheathed my old knife in its place on my calf, "What will you be doing?"

"Distracting your Aunt while she isn't on the bridge, and then using every available avenue to avoid being arrested for treason." His voice turned dry, "I have plans for either eventuality, but we're out of time. If I'm available when you find the mediator, we will discuss our options then, otherwise you will have to work with my people. Rael can't replace all of them, as much as he may try."

I swallowed before repeating myself, "Understood Admiral."

Koris nodded, and handed me the small jammer he was still holding. "Take it and wait forty seconds, then go. _Keelah se'lai_ , Tali'zorah."

" _Keelah se'lai,_ Admiral."

We exchanged a final set of nods, and then he was out the door, leaving me to watch the seconds scroll past inside my visor. A gesture set it to a full, three-hundred and sixty degree view, and it was a matter of a few seconds to hack into the ship's marine net... leaving me with nothing but my emotions and thoughts while I waited.

The familiar pre-mission mixture of excitement and fear was almost welcome compared to the boredom and bitterness that I'd been wallowing in since my second disastrous mission to Haestrom. And failure here wasn't an option anymore than it had been there, if I was caught I would probably graduate to an actual cell in the _Alarei_ 's brig rather than merely being confined to the Officer's deck on the _Rayya._

The forty seconds ticked by faster than I thought they possibly could have, and then it was time to leave.

My door rattled and hissed as it slid aside, and I absently shut it behind me as I got moving. It was late morning by the ship's time, leaving the hallways largely clear, the numerous officers and marines who lived on this deck at their posts. A few young teens skulked near the larger family rooms, likely those whose schooling was in the afternoon hours, while a few doors were open to reveal husbands or wives resting while their loved ones were on shift.

None of them stopped me, or found anything unusual in my temperance. Most were used to my pacing, though the adults were under the impression that I was merely trying to work off my injuries. The younger generation tended to be less complimentary, convinced that I was using my father's name to get away with being lazy and avoiding any real work. Before my pilgrimage, before Haestrom, that might have upset me... now I couldn't even bring myself to care about the gossip.

 _Keelah,_ I was barely four or five years older than the ones muttering about royalty as I walked past, but it seemed like the gap was so much greater than that.

Kal'Reeger was, just as the Admiral had indicated, waiting for me at lift number four. He was clad in the light armor favored by marines when aboard ships, and had his family's namesake carbine held loosely in his hands. His posture betrayed his relief on seeing me, as well as his nerves even as I walked up to him.

A quick sync of our omni-tools put us on a secure channel, muting our voices to everyone else. "You're going to get in trouble for this."

"Don't see how I have a choice ma'am." He replied, "Your father and the other Admirals all but sold us to Aria, and they're going to get a lot of us killed fighting for a rock no one alive has ever been to. If he thought no one would object, then respectfully, he's starting to lose it."

The comment was a little close to my own worries, and I fought the urge to wring my hands once more, "Are you coming with me?"

"No ma'am." Kal shook his head, "You're going to need all the support you can get when you come back. Speaking of, you'd best get going before anyone else notices."

Meaning the marines standing guard at the other lifts farther down the hall. I swallowed and nodded as he turned, quickly sending the pass code to unlock it. "Thank you Kal."

"No thanks are needed, I swore an oath to protect the Quarian people, that's what I'm doing." He shifted aside, letting me slip past him. "Good luck ma'am."

Then the doors had closed, my stomach shifting a little as I abruptly began traveling upwards at speed. I half expected to suddenly stop as alarms blared, but reason reasserted itself rather quickly. They would notice sooner or later, but I doubted that anyone would react so quickly, or overtly.

Deck twenty arrived within a matter of moments, the lift depositing me into a far more natural area than the calm floor that I had left. Here actual families lived amongst the machinery and equipment, leaving no available space unused. Hammocks holding sleeping parents hung above the small, bowl-like beds of children, colorful blankets dangled from hooks and rails to offer some illusion of privacy around tiny alcoves or specific areas.

No one commented or did more than glance as I entered the throng of people, men and women moving carefully down the narrow paths for traffic. Most had obviously come from the greenhouses and pens, returning to their living areas to enjoy their midday break with family before returning to the critical task of gathering food.

I had to force myself to be patient, to not try and shove my way through the crowd. Rushing would just draw attention, and maybe a curious call to the deck officer to ask if there was a problem, I had to take things slow. That would have been far easier had the walk not been so long; the main docking airlock on this level was near the very rear of the liveship, just before its powerful engines, whereas I had started near the bow.

It was about fifteen minutes into the trek when the first reports came over the marine's shipboard frequency.

" _All shipboard marines, we have reason to believe that Tali'zorah vas Neema has left deck three after meeting with Admiral Koris."_ An almost harried male voice cut through the bored status updates that I'd been half-listening to, " _She is to be gently detained and brought to Admiral Raan for questioning."_

The forked ends of my tongue ran over my lips, and I flexed my fingers a little to loosen them. Thankfully, the marines themselves stalled on my behalf. Several of them began to speak at once, all questioning the order, but eventually an incredulous sounding woman made her voice heard above the rest.

" _Bridge, confirm that? We are to detain Tali'Zorah? On what grounds?"_

" _Admiral Zorah has reason to believe that Admiral Koris has attempted to contact the Geth behind the Admiralty Board's back."_ A tight, angry breath could be heard, punctuating the words, " _He may be coercing Miss Zorah into acting on his behalf."_

There was a confused pause. _"Then why aren't we arresting Admiral Koris?"_

 _"Lieutenant Haelru, you are ordered on behalf of Admiral Zorah to-"_

 _"Respectfully,"_ She retaliated, her tones offering no respect whatsoever, " _Admiral Zorah does not command the Rayya's marines. Why are these orders not coming from Admiral Raan or Captain Kar'Danna?"_

I felt my eyes widen as the crowd thinned, letting me see a tall marine, about my height, obviously another woman. She saw me looking and almost impatiently lifted her hands, signing words rapidly, telling me that she could only stall for a short amount of time. Evidently she assumed that I would be listening to the chatter, which was rather smart of her.

"Time to run then." I muttered, kicking off from my back foot and all but trampling the young man ahead of me. "Clear the lane!"

He stumbled, and I shoved him aside as gently as I could while repeating my shout in the most commanding tone that I could muster. Men and women quickly shifted aside on reflex, lifetimes worth of emergency drills telling them to get out of the way while the responder moved past. I managed to get up to to a run just as the dispatcher came back on.

" _Confirmation codes have come in from Admiral Raan, follow prior instructions. Report as soon as..."_ There was a telling pause, " _We have a confirmed sighting on deck twenty, Lieutenant Haelru you are to coordinate your team to locate and detain her."_

The marine turned away from the airlock that she'd been guarding, one of dozens that lead to the greenhouses in the ship's core, and instead began accelerating ahead of me. "I am following protocol! Until you give us the confirmation code directly we are not authorized to-"

" _You are relieved! All available marines to deck twenty!"_

There was an almost breathless little laugh as I caught up to her, her eyes very wide behind her helmet as she glanced back at me. "I think I just threw away my career."

"I think you did too." I replied, "Clear the lane! Why?"

"Was wounded on Haestrom, was aboard that last medical transport, figured I owed you for taking out that battery before it could kill us all." She paused, raising her voice sharply, "Clear the lane! Code Seven! Code Seven!"

That, plus the sight of two armed and armored women sprinting as if Armatures were behind us, was enough to seriously deplete the midday crowd. Everyone began moving into whatever spaces they could fit, clearing out of our way before emerging to head to their duty stations. If we were lucky they were probably jamming up the main radio frequencies while they were at it, demanding to know the situation.

"So," The questioning resumed as we exited the last of the converted living areas, the hall narrowing into a maintenance run. "What am I aiding and abetting?"

"Later." I replied, "Once we're away from here. Hatchways between us and the airlock?"

"Just the one," she replied, "Should be shut but not locked or sealed."

Good. "How many marines ahead of us?"

Her head shook, "Not more than five or six in the entire aft of the ship, most will be on duty in and around the core to watch for people pilfering extra food. I'm more worried about-"

" _All hands, this is Admiral Raan."_ I winced as my Aunt's voice thundered over the emergency frequency. " _Commander Tali'Zorah vas Neema and Lieutenant Risa'Haelru are to be detained on suspicion of treason! Deck twenty is to be sealed, their positions reported! They are armed and dangerous, do not approach!"_

My new friend, Risa evidently, stumbled a little. "Treason!?"

"I'm not endangering the fleet." I growled reflexively back, the accusation all the more painful coming from Auntie Raan. That I was sure that it was my father's words coming from her helmet didn't make it any better... "My father's doing enough of that, I'm trying to save it."

"Oh _Keelah_... I definitely should have thought about this more..."

"You're stuck now." I reminded her, slowing a bit to stay just behind her in case she decided to act on her second thoughts. "Father isn't the type to accept people changing their minds, probably because he can never change his."

Her head shook a little, and I could hear her muttering prayers to her ancestors, but she kept running all the same, a shut hatch coming into view far ahead just as she had indicated.

The sound I dreaded the most started to echo down the halls, picked up and amplified by my helmet's external microphones as we drew nearer to the airlock. More gunfire picked up with each step, my visor flickering as it analyzed the noise, informing me that between three and seven pistol-caliber weapons were firing in suppression patterns.

When we slid to a stop at the hatch, both of us breathing heavily, my suit already injecting me with stimulants, the estimate had increased to between six and ten weapons.

"Careful." I murmured, staying near a bulkhead, a hand on my pistol as Risa pulled the lever to open our way. "Stay on this side."

From her slight hesitation she'd finally noticed that I'd remained behind her, and that I was keeping her firmly in front of me... but to her credit, it lasted less than second before she nodded and moved, her back to me as the metal groaned and slid away to reveal a decrepit and little-used hangar. It was small, so small that only the front quarter of the _Calaruush_ was inside, the remainder of the old Salarian corvette protruding out into space.

" _All marines forward of live-bay three are to proceed to airlock two, deck nine to detain Admiral Koris!"_ The old dispatcher, his voice more than a little aggrieved, politely kept me updated. " _All marines aft are to head to airlock one on deck twenty!"_

The crew of the _Calaruush_ kept up an inaccurate but earnest barrage from behind the ship's ramp and supply crates scattered nearby. Their targets were a trio of marines taking shelter in the hatchway opposite of us, the soldiers seeming to be less than keen to return fire on civilians. Definitely a good thing for everyone involved, since they'd have probably worked through them in a matter of moments, and then had to live with the guilt even if the Admirals pardoned them.

"Go for the ship, and get them aboard!" I hissed, "I'll cover you."

"Right!" Risa needed a moment to psyche herself up to it, then moved around the edge of the hatch, breaking into the fasted sprint her tired body would allow as she ran for the ship.

I moved the moment she was out of my way, pulling a scrambler from my belt, priming it, and then throwing it as hard as I could as the other marines saw her and started shouting. They began shouting something else as the grenade bounced past them, tumbling into the hall before going off in a cacophony of noise, light, and the unseen tendrils of info-war programs trying to find unsecured comm-ports to attack.

Two of the marines staggered, then recovered, but the third yelped in pain and dropped her overheating weapon before falling to the decking, clutching at her head. She'd evidently been lax on updating her security protocols, her helmet's speakers were probably blasting white noise at full volume right now. While that left her out of the fight, the others tracked where the grenade had come from.

"It's Zorah! No!" The larger of the two men grabbed the others rifle and shoved it down, "Detain her, don't shoot her! Cover me!"

"Dammit." I muttered as he vaulted the crate he'd been using for cover, his partner now fully responding to the civilian's fire with far more accurate suppressing fire of his own. A glance in Risa's direction saw her holding her hands up a second before two of the crew all but tackled her, evidently not believing her protests that she was on our side.

The burly marine dropped his rifle in favor of a heavy shock baton, the weapon sparking dangerously as he came on in a full charge.

There were a lot of times where I was self-conscious about my height, being so much taller than a proper woman should be, but when I was involved in a brawl generally wasn't among such times. I had a good bit of reach on the soldier, an advantage I abused for all it was worth, twirling away from his initial swing, using the momentum to increase the power of the kick I directed at his side as I completed my turn.

He grunted in pain and stumbled back, and I tried to dart towards the ship while I had a moment. Unfortunately he was too savvy to let me, growling and swiping at my front leg as he lunged after me. It was my turn to curse and stumble as I avoided the clumsy thrust, avoiding it but being slowed enough that he caught up all the same.

"Surrender!" The bark came as I stepped back to dodge a more controlled strike, "And you will receive a fair trial!"

A younger me might have responded, but Wrex had taught me not to waste time talking in a fight. So instead of mouthing off, I waited for his next swing, then surged forwards into his guard. He saw me coming and dropped his weapon, believing it to be a liability with me so close, and got his hands up to protect his vulnerable neck and visor against the punch I faked.

That left his arms entirely out of position when I ducked and grabbed the heavy baton, and he didn't have time to do more than take an awkward step back before I slammed it into his thigh. He went down like a buckled hydraulic piston, entire body quivering as the electrical charge played havoc with his nervous system.

I smacked him again on the chest, though lightly, to make sure he stayed down, then turned in time to see the third marine scrambling back through the aft-side hatch, shouting for reinforcements.

"Miss Zorah!" Risa's shout drew my attention back to the _other_ ongoing mess. She'd evidently fought off the men who'd tried to tackle her, but that merely left us with two groaning civilians on the ground to go with a lot of pistols pointed at her. "Little help!?"

"Let her go!" I shouted... or tried to, I didn't have combat drugs loaded, just low-level stimulants, so the exhaustion was more than catching up to me. The words came out as more of a loud gasp than anything else. "Take her gear, but we're taking her with!"

They all glanced towards a small male, the one who'd been closest to the marines' position, but he merely barked back at them, "What are you _keshin_ looking at me for?! Admiral said she's in charge! Everyone on the ship! Feri, Ular, take the marine's omni-tool and rifle!"

Risa didn't complain, quickly shedding equipment even as she got her legs moving again. The two civilians following her awkwardly grabbed the gear as they tried to keep up with her, the odd little show making me smile for a microsecond before I focused on the man who'd spoken. His bearing marked him as the _Calaruush_ 's captain even without any obvious insignia, and he properly lingered back, waiting for all of his crew to reach the ramp before heading in that direction himself.

I slowed as well, wanting to speak with him, though doing so almost got the both of us captured or killed when more marines showed up from the aft-hatch. Three omni-drones screamed out ahead of them, tasers spitting electrical arcs as they came on. The marines controlling them fell into cover even as others ran for the man I'd left stunned on the decking, and accurate suppressing fire began to ricochet off the ship's hull.

"Ancestor's damned _keshin_!" He cursed as we both scrambled up into the corvette, just barely avoiding a pair of opposing scramblers along with an overload mine. The flashes of the former obscured my view long enough for one of the drones to hurtle at my legs, and it probably would have given me a nasty shock if he hadn't noticed and slammed his boot through the orb.

"Thank you!" I gasped as I hit the controls, the doors hissing as they slammed closed behind us, a second button push retracting the ramp.

"Not out of this yet." He replied, already turning away, "Come on."

I followed him up a short, curved stairwell that deposited us on the ship's main deck, the vessel shuddering as whoever was piloting it sensibly got us into motion. Or at least, I hoped that was what was happening, if we were getting shot at we wouldn't make it very far.

"Status?" The Captain demanded as we entered the small bridge, little more than five consoles and an control lectern shoved into an armored box in the dead center of the vessel.

"We're away!" Another man shouted from the pilot's position, "Comms are flooded with orders for us to cut power and prepare to be boarded! What route sir?"

"Two!" He replied, "We aren't getting away quiet, keep the _Rayya_ between us and the primary escorts, and transmit the plan!"

I flinched a little as the notion of using the precious live-ship as cover, "The plan?"

"Civilian fleet protocol." He replied tersely, reaching his post even as the bridge crew flew into work around him. "Form into a battle sphere around the live-ships, they're going to be sloppy about it and get in the escorts way, delay anyone from shooting at us long enough for us to find a clear FTL lane."

My throat worked as I swallowed, whatever bravado I'd managed to summon in my little cabin fading quickly as the reality of what we were doing set in. If I'd managed to sneak out entirely that would have been that, I don't think I'd have had any doubts, but this... this was putting hundreds, thousands of lives at risk, all on the belief that our people were not so lost as to open fire when our own people were in the danger zone.

Once, in my life, I wouldn't have even considered that as a possibility.

The old ship swayed around us as the pilot put her through her paces, staying close to the ponderous bulk of the _Rayya_ and dodging the deliberately slow civilian ships that were purposefully failing to form up in their screen around her. After perhaps a minute we abruptly went versicle to the live-ship's main axis, our nose pointed at an open lane.

"Priority transmission from the _Alarei_." The commtech reported, "It's High Admiral Zorah."

The Captain's fingers tightened on his lectern. "Engines?"

"Thirty seconds before FTL."

"Miss Zorah?" The Captain's voice lowered to something almost hesitant, compassionate. "Do you want to take it?"

I swallowed, nodded once... and then my father's deep voice reached me, " _Tali, what in our ancestor's holy names are you_ _doing_ _!?"_

"What I have to." I replied as confidently as I could... which probably wasn't all that confident. "If there's even a chance that-"

" _You can't negotiate with a machine!"_ He all but spat, " _They will betray and murder you, just as they betrayed and murdered our ancestors! Think girl! You're acting like a naïve little child!"_

I sucked in a breath, anger rolling through me, "I'd say that you are acting like an Xenthan sadist, but even _they_ care about their people's lives! How many million Quarians will die in this stupid war!? And for what? The _chance_ that Aria keeps her word? That enough of us survive to have children who might live on Rannoch!?"

" _Don't you dare compare me to those bone wearing kolsha, and do not think you can lecture_ _me_ _! I am your father and your Admiral and you will respect that."_

The pilot turned and nodded frantically, and I let out an angry mewling sigh. "You were my father, now... you're something else."

" _Tali'Zorah-"_

His voice cut off as the ship surged forwards, hurling us beyond the speed of light, carrying us away, leaving the bridge silent but for the rattling of the old air vents, and the quiet groaning of the hull around us. I kept my composure, at least for the short time that it took me to walk out of the bridge, and for the door to hiss shut behind me.

I stumbled into the first cabin that I found, found a chair, and all but fell into it. That... was that then. Even if I pulled this off, as sure about this cause as I was... I'd just said words that I didn't think I could take back. I might have been thinking them for a while now, but actually saying them... telling my father that I didn't...

The Captain found me thirty minutes later, my head snapping up as he entered the small room. "I'd like to give you more time, but we're short on that."

"Right..." I swallowed, for once grateful for the tinted mask that hid me away. "'I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Tor'Wheril vas Calaruush." He replied politely, "First things first, Admiral said you had command of this mission, but this is still my ship, its crew my responsibility."

"I understand Captain." My head shook a little as I got my breathing under control. "I'm not my father, I'm not going to start barking orders at everyone."

His nod was something to tell me that he'd heard me speak, more than that he agreed with my words. "We're in deep space right now, drifting and checking our systems. First things first, who is the marine you brought with?"

" Risa'Haelru vas Rayya." I replied, "She covered for part of my escape, said she was on Haestrom and owed me. Think she was tempted to change her mind but it was a bit late by that point."

Wheril made a low mewling, growl in his throat. "We'll confirm that she was there before we let her out, and check her gear for tracking beacons. Can't imagine Zor... the other Admirals just letting us go without trying to bring us in."

I nodded, doing my best to politely ignore his near-reference. "That's probably prudent, I'll help with the inspection."

"Thank you." He crossed his arms, "Next matter, you know where we're going?"

Oh, right. Reaching down to my belt, I pulled out the small drive that I'd been given, my omni-tool opening its contents. The initial files were just a collection of logs, the messages that Zaal'Koris had been sending to the Geth on and off ever since I'd returned to the fleet from pilgrimage. He'd kept at it despite the only consistent response being two words: Building Consensus. It wasn't until last week that he'd received actual dialogue in reply, but he'd gotten quite the volume of messages.

"They have a plan to cripple the Heretics," I read aloud, "But won't give details until mediation has occurred. They want me to represent the Flotilla... because I'm eighty-seven percent less likely than a 'standard creator' to open fire if the negotiations stall."

"Cute." Came a mutter, "Where?"

I kept reading and felt my body flinch a little, "They want to have the negotiations on Haestrom... I'd really rather avoid that planet."

"Can't blame you," He agreed gruffly, "But I meant where is this mediator we have to find?"

"Oh, right." I shook my head, scrolled down a bit further, "Most likely location is Omega, they recommend we reach out to the Silver Blade Corporation to loc...ate..."

Wheril's eyes blinked, then narrowed as I trailed off, staring at the tiny image of their desired mediator. He leaned in as well, getting a better look, "...Huh. Thought she was dead."

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude IX: Burning Rainbow**_

 _Slight change to the order of the interludes, where we're going with Tali first before moving on to Kelly. Two of the others will be merged and moved to the final interlude slot, leaving room for another new point of view; Silver Queen_

 _Here we get a little glimpse into the Migrant Fleet, and how all is definitely not well amongst the Flotilla... and a rather blatant hint that Shepard hasn't exactly told Cieran or Miranda some of what she got up to in the two years between the Battle of Noveria and the Battle of the Citadel._

 _ _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**__

 _ **Thanks, Kat**_


	30. Interlude IX: Blood Dreams

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude IX: Blood Dreams**

* * *

 _ **Silver Queen**_

 _(Ayle ul Massa)_

 **Date** : 11-22-2187  
 **Location** : Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System

* * *

Cieran collapsed into his chair with a groan, absolutely no professionalism or proper control in his posture as he simply slumped backwards. The tablet containing Aria's proposal struck his desk as he aimlessly tossed it in my direction, pointlessly highlighting his fatigue with the entire process.

"How professional." I drawled, stepping forwards as I shucked my formal coat, carefully folding it over the back of a chair. "Perhaps we should be glad our guests are not here to witness this."

"Fuck off." Came the entirely expected groan, a pair of pale hands rising to rub at his face. "What do we do about this?"

"I'm not sure." I grimaced, glancing down with my lower eyes to regard what the Black Queen had given us. While she had presented it as a new contract, a fresh start to our working relationship, neither of us was so naive as to see it as anything but the ultimatum is was. "Drinks?"

"Yeah." Cie grunted, forcing himself to lean forwards and rummage through his battered wooden desk, rising with a bottle of amber liquid and a pair of glasses. I relaxed a little when I saw the label marking it as sugary Human rum rather than the more bitter Asari variation.

He poured us both a small measure in deft movements, and we both remained silent as we sipped at the liquid.

"It is a good offer, at least before you think about it deeply." I spoke as I finished my glass, setting it aside and waving off his motion to give me more. "Full control over Redcliffe and its system, minimal taxation, minimal oversight, full support to repair Zaen's infrastructure, including his naval base above the planet's moon, her authority to expand in the region... almost everything I want, with a bonus for you."

Cieran sighed, "Yeah... that data was a nice touch, even the idea that Ghai could use it to fix Korolev and I...

"It is more than merely temping, as she no doubt intended." Air whistled between my teeth as I sighed in turn, closing all of my eyes and fighting the urge to slump. "All we have to do is abandon Illium and Novgorod, and make a confidential arrangement to fight for Aria if she and Sederis go to war in the aftermath."

"Which they probably will, how things are going." My old friend grumbled, "Athame's ass... you want to take it?"

"Of course not. I don't like giving up Novgorod, potential Council relations be damned." I opened my right eyes, feeling my voice lower in irritably. "Or being penned in to the Rimward Terminus, wearing a jeweled collar about my neck."

"Yeah, there is that." He _did_ pour himself a second drink, though he was careful to sip at it rather than down it. "There's also the fact that we _can't_ give up Illium Minor now that she's gone and fucked up our income from Redcliffe."

My lips peeled back from my teeth as I seethed at that. "Yes, or the fact that we would be entirely under her thumb if we do abandon those facilities in addition to Novgorod."

"Aggravating." He replied, the single muttered word covered the entire affair so far as I was concerned.

Aria's summons had been delayed, then delayed again, and then finally happened a full five local days after we had returned from our victories at New Canton and Horizon. We had expected to discuss the battles and our plans to continue the defense against the Collectors, instead we had been broadsided by Aria coyly congratulating us, dispatching _pay_ to cover our people's salaries for the month leading up to the fights, and then presenting an extremely detailed contract that she had drawn up for us.

She had seemed to know who she was dealing with, and had been blunt and clear in her purpose for her actions: Sederis had taken a shot at her, she was responding in kind, and she knew that we didn't have as much of a choice as she was pretending. Not that I could blame the cagey old bitch. For all of her political skill, Aria's position was not nearly as strong as most of the galaxy believed, especially now that the Xenthan Empire was finally taking itself seriously, and Sederis was dragging the old Confederation back together.

And, of course, she hadn't bothered to _explain_ how in the Pillars' sacred names she had gotten control of Redcliffe from Lady T'Ravt, or just what arrangements she had made with her fellow Warlord beyond that. Which for both Cieran and I was more than merely crippling; our independent existence depended on our ability to ensure we were too valuable to too many Warlords to be messed with.

"Do we bother alerting Sederis?" I asked quietly. "You have done quite a bit of work ensuring that she considers us at least tacit allies."

Green eyes closed tiredly. "What's the point? We _can_ evacuate Illium, or at least divest ourselves of our assets there. We _can't_ evacuate Illium Minor, or our compound on Xentha, and she made it crystal fucking clear that we would have bail on the former if we say no."

"We wouldn't even make it off the station if we tried." I shook my head, "All she would have to do is relax her prohibition on in-fighting, the Consortium and their allies would be all over over the walls, and our fleet couldn't hold the docks _and_ escort transports out... Pillars alone even know where we would _go_ with Omega closed to us, or how we would coordinate anything."

"Yeah." He agreed. "Shit... Jona just _had_ to fucking rock the boat. Could have probably played this until the war if she hadn't."

I shrugged in the Asari way, rolling my left shoulder. "We both knew it would come to this sooner or later, from the moment she gave us this district... and from when you turned it into something worth keeping."

Cie grimaced but didn't deny either point, instead simply taking a pointed pull from his glass.

"This will still be our final chance." I sighed, feeling compelled to make that clear, if only because I owed him. "We could dissolve the corporation into its component branches. I would take Xentha and continue the Redcliffe contract, T'Laria could simply rid herself of our assets on Illium. You could take the fleet and what regiments wish to desert and go to the Traverse."

From the long silence that followed, he was seriously considering the notion. Such an action would... _probably_ be enough to keep Aria from simply killing both him and myself, but there was no guarantee. She was more than petty and vindictive enough to eliminate us simply for spiting her, and practical enough to ensure that we couldn't simply rebuild and become a future threat.

Further it would assure that Illium Minor's fragile pillars would be shattered, letting it fall back into the morass that was Omega, and Cieran himself would be in a galaxy of personal trouble. Sederis and Aria would both be annoyed and unlikely to support him during or after the Reaper war, and Lady T'Ravt would come under pressure from the other two if she tried.

"No." He exhaled finally, "We started this mess, we'll need to finish it, even if I won't be able to go back to Illium anytime soon... what do you think for _that_ problem?"

"That it's a problem." I sighed, "As you said, we cannot divest ourselves of our corporate investments, or afford to abandon Khar'shan Minor. Without the Lady's contract for Redclfife we'll _barely_ be in the blue... and I don't know how long that will last given our expansion plans."

"Not long." Cieran replied, "Of course, Aria might not give a shit about our finances."

I grunted, "She'll have to if she expects us to be of any use. Perhaps we can keep our shares, investments, but simply remove our troops?"

"Fucking pain in the ass..."

"Less bitching, more practical discussion." I chided him.

"Oh fine." Came a mutter, his eyes finally opening as he shifted himself into a more proper position, straightening his back and neck to tell me that he was going to take this seriously. "We can probably pull our troops off of Illium without much fuss, but we'll also have to keep our senior staff away from now on. Jona will realize what's happening sooner or later, and I wouldn't put it past her to keep a few of our people hostage to ensure good behavior, especially if she could disguise it as 'caring' for Trena or Ethy."

"True." And wouldn't _that_ be a mess for everyone involved, "It will be a distraction either way, Shepard and Lawson will not be happy."

"No shit." Fingers drummed on his desk, "They'll have to deal with it. Contact Joa, have her plan the operation using the troop transports from the Traverse. We'll send Chek's team by pinnace to alert Trena as to what's going on and to have her prep for everyone who isn't critical to supervising things out of there. Skyfall too loud?"

I winced at the reference to our emergency evacuation plans. "Far too loud."

"Mm, fair point." He kept up the drumming. "Have to be quick, but quiet... What's the cover story?"

I considered that seriously, remembering what I could from his will. "Illyan is injured, and she knows you would want Trena to replace her. Further, a Justicar will be heading to Illium soon, will she not? Clearing out any of our people with records would be logical to avoid any potential problems."

There was a soft hum, "The training regiments?"

"Being brought to Redcliffe." I shrugged, "If Sederis asks, we are going to pull some of my Xenthan veterans to reinforce the Collector task force, and simply have to replace them with what is available. Once they're away, we simply continue to invent reasons for them to stay away. Ven's people can make preparations for a rush-sale "

"Plausible." He murmured, "We'll have to make that mirage last, and it'll be hard to get the support staff out... but I think its workable. Draw up the orders, would you?"

I narrowed my eyes, not about to let him make me do all of the work, not when my ass wasn't in the chair on _that_ side of the table yet. "Only if you handle the Novgorod evacuation."

The male grimaced, frowned, then shook his head. "We can't ask those families to move, not so soon."

I grimaced at his sympathetic streak, "Do we attempt to refuse that section of the contract?"

He made a beckoning gesture, and I passed the contract back to him. Wasting little time, he linked it to his desk's equipment, the massive document flickering to life above it before shifting so that we could both read it properly.

"Novgorod line is out.. replace it with an agreement that we will not colonize any new worlds in the Traverse." Cie deleted the old section, and replaced it with his own wording. "Anything else?"

We made our way through the entire document, picking out specific lines that we didn't care for or wanted adjusted and doing so. Mostly it revolved around how much authority that Aria desired, how much tribute she demanded, entirely removing her desire to be copied on data that we gave to Lady T'Ravt, and removing her order that we shed corporate assets on Illium. The only section we didn't really touch was the secret alliance against Sederis; not because we wanted any such thing, but because we both knew she wouldn't budge on the matter...

And as Cieran noted, her exact words were to ally with her against _Jona Sederis_ , not the Sederis family as a whole, nor the Eclipse Confederation as an entity. Either a deliberate oversight for a reason I hadn't seen... or a sign that the details were slipping away from Aria as she scrambled to react.

"You think she'll accept this?" He asked when we finished. "She'll know we're going to keep trying to play her and the Lady against each other."

"I think she's desperate to line as many people against Sederis as she can." I replied with a shrug, "We could probably get away with more changes, but I'd rather not risk it."

"Same." Came the mutter as he saved and closed the contract. "Dammit, we'll send this to her later, for now I think I just want have a few drinks."

"Cie..." I shook my head a little, "We also have to discuss, well, _government_. The organization that you worked out and conned Shaaryak and I into running with is working right now, but we are only administering a pair of cities, a tiny colony, a few military compounds, and a rebellious continent we didn't intend to actually _rule_."

"No," He corrected me, a dark little smile appearing on his lips, " _You_ have to discuss government. _I_ am retiring sooner rather than later... unless you want to press the issue, in which case I'd love to quit right now."

"Leaving me to deal with our guests?" I shook my head, more amused than annoyed at his threat. "Fine, but I will be dragging you into the meetings when I find the time to hold them."

A shoulder rolled, "Assuming I'm around I can sit in and look approving."

What was sad was that I entirely knew that he was being honest in his apathy. Cieran might have been exotically attractive, and exceptionally so when he was killing things, but his strange attitudes towards authority and power were something I wasn't entirely sure I would ever understand. While he actively shed such things whenever possible, he simultaneously seemed to covet it to his own hands whenever he didn't have someone he trusted to take it instead... and could be utterly ruthless in his enforcement of his authority when he thought it required.

I entirely approved of said ruthlessness and acquisitions, or would have if he wasn't constantly trying to give it all to me and vanish. The former I wanted, the latter I didn't. Beyond the fact that he was a friend and companion, and pretty enough to stare at when I was bored, he was a symbol for our people that I couldn't afford to lose. While he still seemed to hold the same ignorance towards his own celebrity and infamy that he'd had when we first met, all those years ago, _I_ was not nearly so blind... or, perhaps, I simply cared enough to pay attention.

"You're wearing that expression again." Cieran noted, "The one where you want to hit me."

"Because I do." I growled irritably, "I am lamenting the aspects of your personality that annoy me, and wondering how Voya puts up with it."

"Ah." The Human smirked slightly, "I'm sure the answer is by taking shameless advantage of me."

I let out a tight snort. She took advantage of far more than that, and likely found Cie an entirely willing accomplice. "Likely. Regardless, I'm not simply going to drop the issue, and there are other matters we have to discuss."

The small bands of fur above his eyes rose, "You're the one delivering the response to Aria."

"I had assumed as much." My left shoulder twitched, "But I meant what we're going to do after the war, when we have assets on either side of Omega."

"That will be for you to work out." He reminded me, "I'll be willing to suggest or advise if I'm still alive, but I'm not really interested in pre-planning. The odds of it all being intact after the Reapers and Leviathans do whatever they're planning is crap anyway."

"Yes," I allowed, "But _Aria_ is certainly planning for the future, and if we intend to be anything but her pet varren we should be doing the same. How we are going to govern Redcliffe is important, as is how much of her aid we will actually use there. Do we intend to keep the place, or abandon it at the first chance in favor of my Traverse expansion plan?"

Cie pursed his lips, "Between us, I'm not really in favor of holding onto the world, and I don't really care about it as a bribe. Everything we've heard from Idas is that the place is a goddess-damned mess outside of Hintertown, and we're going to waste a lot of time and energy making it useful. If not for the threat against Illium Minor I'd be happy to tell her to fuck off, even if it cost me the research data."

"I agree with the sentiment," I sighed, "But I'm not sure we can afford it. Without our stakes on Illium we won't have access to much industry ourselves, not that we have much now."

He speared me with an annoyed look, "Then why ask?"

"Because I value your opinion." I shook my head, "And because I would prefer you to be as miserable as I am when it comes to dealing with this."

A muscle in his cheek twitched. "Ayle..."

I shifted my body to display my smug amusement, "In either case, we simply don't have the manpower to seriously control the entire planet. Aria likely intends for us to become entirely occupied managing it, recruiting a proper army, dealing with our new vassals, thus keeping us neatly out of the way until she feels that she has a need for us... or feels that she can get rid of us. Redcliffe is perilously close to the Stormwall."

He continued to give me an arch look, but grunted in agreement. "Yeah. She'll expect us to act like her, or how most others in our position would... cutting deals with the old warlords, the ex-slave democracy or assembly or whatever the fuck those crazies are running in Capital City... and Die Waffe will be right on top of us, another gun to our head in addition to the one she's got on us here. No, we can't stay, not long term, and not really short term either."

I blinked my eyes in sequence. "What are you thinking?"

"We go as lean as we can and start hauling industrial crap off-world." He replied promptly. "And any of the populace smart enough to want out."

"She'll notice that we're not falling into her plans." I warned.

Muscles clenched his hands into fists, and those small green eyes showed the jagged anger that I hadn't seen in a long time. "The bitch forced our hand with this, I am _not_ going to stick around for her to do it again."

I exhaled slowly, "Cieran-"

"I was ready to get drunk and leave this to you." He growled back at me, his posture shifting to the right, displaying his anger and authority, his words coming out in the harsh, rhythmic beat of the Highborn tongue. "You've only got yourself to blame for insisting I actually think about this and make Director level decisions."

All of my eyes lowered as I dipped my head in submission, for once the motion honest rather than merely the token respect I usually offered... but inside, my own pride and arrogance rose at the reminder of what Cieran _could_ be when he desired it, the reminder that _I_ had claimed him before either of his serious partners, the knowledge that _he_ would soon give his authority to _me,_ to become _my_ lethal subordinate once more.

"So," I murmured, "We run Redciffe to the ground, strip mine it, and steal everything we can get our hands on?"

"Yes." There was a tight, whistling exhalation as he forced himself to calm down, tones softening as he quickly returned to his Illium-flavored Thessian. "We'll have to make sure that anything Aria's people do is something we can relocate, or something we can sell to the locals for assets we can move to Novgorod. Call Idas, tell her or Faras to come back for a conference, and to bring Ganar Ruza with them. We're going to have to plan the shit out all of this."

"And Illium Minor?" I asked, sure I already knew the answer. "Skyfall?"

"A... variation." He closed his eyes again, "Once Aria agrees to the changes, have Ven start picking out anyone not critical to running the District and flagging them for relocation to Novgorod. We'll start shipping them out quietly on our usual supply runs and on the warships, and be ready to enact Skyfall if there's even a hint that Aria is going to object."

I grunted, "Getting around Elder will be a pain, but I have a few ideas on that."

"Do what you think is best." He flicked a hand to tell me he trusted my judgment. "As soon as you get a chance, perhaps after Trena is here and can hold the place together, I need you to go to Xentha personally."

"Agreed." With Aria forcing us away from Sederis, that left Lady T'Ravt as our only consistent ally, employer, and shield against the others. I'd likely have to detail my long term plans and secure her approval, ensuring that her Empire firmly backed us. "I would like to stop by New Canton and Nagato in turn, and possibly dispatch some assets to secure the other Human colonies taken by the Collectors."

His eyes opened, though they remained narrow as he frowned. "Scavengers will have picked them apart by now."

"Yes," I allowed, "But the main buildings are likely intact, and the colonies will have been placed on good ground. I don't intend to _colonize_ them ourselves, but I would much rather avoid more Humans trying to move in. The last thing we'll need is for the Corsairs to have more bases, or for Horizon to actually gain some momentum for their national ideals."

"I think that one is pretty much shot." Cie shook his head, "Given how many of their militia they've lost, and how reliant they'll be on Alliance aid."

"Perhaps, but paranoia has saved our lives in the past." I shrugged slightly, "I would just as soon not assume."

"Fair point." He sank back into his chair. "I have to keep dealing with this Collector crap, we're in too deep to simply back out, but I should only need the Lancers for that. Take anyone else you need to start preparing for the rest."

I nodded, "And the meetings?"

His head shook, long fur shifting enticingly as he did. "If I can, Ayle, if I can. Anything else, or can I be done with this crap day?"

"One more thing." I enjoyed his disbelieving expression for a long moment before lowering my voice to something more serious. "We have to discuss our conspicuously absent Khar'shan Branch, and the fact that we have now lost all communication with Shaaryak or her representatives."

He stared at me for several seconds before letting out a long groan, reaching up to rub at his temples his everything radiating exhaustion, "Athame's azure... for how long?"

"We were only receiving generic updates once per local week," I growled a little in memory of that uptight bitch's sabotages during the Hegemony Civil War. "The Administration staff didn't grow alarmed until it was two days past due. Our last update was on the eleventh."

A hand lowered to drum fingers along the wood of his desk. "And we don't have any real contacts in the Hegemony... no official news?"

I shook my head, "All of the major news networks are state owned, they wouldn't cover anything that the Highborn Councils or Hegemon don't approve of. The Shadow Broker is likely more knowledgeable, if you can convince her to talk with us."

"Unlikely." He muttered, "Shit, Nynsi, what the fuck are you doing now..."

Blinking my eyes in sequence, I exhaled raggedly through my teeth, "I don't like the bitch, but we can't exactly afford to throw her connections, money, or army away either. I have a few people I could dispatch, at least as far as the Dark Rim colonies to listen to black-market news, if you can free up one of the pinnaces."

"Take it." A hand flicked in permission, "I'll hold off on the rum and see if I can get a hold of the old fish. She probably won't talk, but... suppose I have to try."

Recognizing Cie's silent request for privacy for what it was, I rose from my chair, dipped my head politely to the left and received a bow in return, and turned to leave his office after grabbing the tablet with its updated contract. Passing through the empty lounge, the various Lancers were celebrating survival or relaxing elsewhere as could be expected, I wasted little time in entering the lift and heading for the ground floor.

The sheer weight of the situation hit me more or less the moment the doors closed, and I allowed myself an unseemly slump of my shoulders, groaning as I rubbed at my face much as a Human would. This was going to be _complicated_ , horrifically so given that Aria's actions to gain Redcliffe and then pass it to us had also cost us our contract with Lady T'Ravt. After all, she would hardly pay us to subdue a rebellion on a world she no longer owned.

Likely part of Aria's fucking plan... forcing us to focus on the Pillars-forsaken world, taxing it to make up the income we had lost. We could probably recoup some of the losses selling our corporate interests on Illium to Sederis and the Eclipse, buy ourselves some financial time, but... if the Lady _couldn't_ help us, I had no idea what we would do.

Probably bow to Aria's pressure and actually utilize Redcliffe until we could find a way to properly escape her.

I recovered myself as the lift reached the lowest floor, correcting my posture just as the door opened to reveal Shyeel and Voya, the former's expression and the latter's body language radiating annoyance. From the way the Asari's mouth clicked shut, and the fact that none of the officers and staff filling the old command center were nearby, the pair had likely been arguing.

"Do I want to know?" I asked as I stepped out, not surprised when neither made a move to get into the elevator. "I'm assuming that I don't, but that I will be told regardless."

Shyeel planted her hands on her hips and shook her head, "We figured we'd tell Illyan about Cie's decision while the two of you were off meeting with Aria. She took it as well as you'd expect."

I sighed. "It is the correct decision for her long-term health."

"Like she cares." Voya growled, her own arms crossed, her visor polarized to entirely hide her face, even her eyes. "She almost said something I'd have had to shoot her for."

The Asari's eyes rolled, "Voya, you can't keep ignoring-"

"Enough." I held a hand up, lowering my head to the right in command. "I am _not_ getting involved in the complicated mess that is their relationship."

"Smart." Shyeel muttered, hissing a little as she earned a punch to her side from the Quarian. "Fucking... what did Aria want?'

My simmering anger over the situation made me close my upper eyes and seethe for a moment, "Voya, you had best get up to Cieran before he drinks himself under a table."

She straightened at once, all traces of her prior emotion gone, "That bad?"

"To say that our political situation has been thrown into a sandstorm would be an understatement." I replied, "I need to start the prep work to host far too many meetings. Shyeel, I could use your help with that."

She nodded as Voya quickly moved into the lift, vanishing as it took her to her partner. That left we old Reyja'krem to turn away and head for the exit. Shyeel remained sensibly quiet during the initial portion of the walk, not wanting to draw any attention from the men and women who had enough to do at their posts. It wasn't until we had left the building that I began to speak, filling her in as to the situation that had developed between ourselves and Aria.

"Athame's ass..." The groan came as we were halfway to the new command center, "Fucking Jona Sederis not caring about the collateral. Fucking Cieran for sending Trena to represent us at that conference."

"He didn't have a choice." I reminded her, "Sederis was going to evict us from Illium if we did not attend... and in either case, Aria was not giving us any sign that she would act until after the war."

Scarred flesh twisted as she grimaced. "Jona would evict us. Aria would declare open season on this district. Leaves T'Ravt as the only one who hasn't threatened to fuck us... I'm guessing you're going to be running there to see what the fuck she thinks about this storm?"

"As soon as we have a stable plan to evacuate our critical personal from Illium," I replied, "And begun preliminary planning for how we will exploit Redcliffe and relocate our core assets to Novgorod whenever and wherever possible."

"Well shit." She breathed, "That's all going to go over well with _everyone."_

I hissed between my teeth in reply. "Do you have a better idea? Novgorod is remote enough to not alarm the Council, and keeps the Empire between us and Aria, and ourselves and Sederis for that matter. Cieran and I are in agreement that doing anything _but_ strip mining Redcliffe is impractical long and short term."

The drugs that had damaged her biotics hadn't done much to her brain, her lips turning down as she tried and failed to come up with anything else to do with the damned planet. "Dammit."

"That isn't our only issue either." I continued, "Shaaryak has gone silent, we have no idea what is happening with the bitch or her people."

Shyeel closed her eyes for a moment as she shook her head, "Bloody fucking... yeah, that would make Cieran want to down a few bottles of rum. Makes _me_ want to down a couple."

I grunted in agreement, "I believe the sentiment will be universal. Find us a suitable bar to work in and see about scheduling a time for it to be closed for our purposes."

"When, and who are you bringing?"

"The entire old team, plus Ven, Joa, and my core staff." I replied, "Likely whenever Trena and Ghai are able to arrive from Illium."

"A few days then." She hummed quietly, "We can use the main bar on the second floor, I'll make sure it's clear."

"Thank you." I exhaled, my mind already lost in the figures and numbers of everything that we would have to accomplish to make any of this work... and lost in silent prayers to the Pillars that things wouldn't get any worse.

I didn't know how many more complications any of us could take.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude X: Storm Crow**_

 _This was supposed to be a Kelly chapter more focused on Cerberus, but no matter what I did I could not get back into her head or find the drive to force myself through it. So instead the interludes have been shuffled around again. Next chapter will likely be from Voya's perspective, possibly with Kelly's if I managed to find the spark to get that section to work._

 _In terms of this chapter, Aria has begun scrambling to react to what Jona did in the last set of interludes, and is putting as much pressure as she can on all of her clients/vassals as a result. Cieran's balancing act has finally fallen apart, but rather than simply bow down, he and Ayle are getting set for a whole new plan to try and avoid the potential mess between Jona and Aria._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	31. Interlude X: Burning Rainbow

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude X: Burning Rainbow**

* * *

 **The Masquerade**

 _Kelly Chambers_

 **Date** : 11-28-2187  
 **Location** : Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System

* * *

The situation was... becoming difficult. Our time after the battle of Horizon had been initially spent rather comfortably, with everyone relaxing and taking advantage of some down time to rest, recover, and to take stock of what we had accomplished. Those with the lighter wounds had been able to recover and start rehab, ensuring that the quick repairs had put them back together, while Kasumi, Korolev, and Illyan were still enjoying each others company at the Blades' main medical facility.

We had held a few brief meetings, mostly using the time to analyze Collector and Geth technology and considering means to better counter it, and then broken apart for a few days to detox, with the plan to come back on the twenty-third to consider our next steps. The day before that scheduled meeting, Kean and ul Massa had gone to report to Aria, telling us beforehand that it was probably just a routine debriefing, but with the usual warning that it may not be and to be ready if things fell apart.

Things evidently had, because the moment they'd come back the _entire_ mercenary command structure had all but vanished. Not just the locals either, they'd brought back both of their military commanders from Redcliffe, plus the T'Laria from Illium, and God knew who else. Both Shepard and Miranda had attempted to get answers from Kean only to be stalled by his surrogate Asari daughter, who seemed to be working with Chi to keep the bureaucracy running. More insistent efforts to see him had only seen him shake T'Voth loose, the scarred Asari assigned to liaise with us while he was occupied with... whatever it was that they were up to.

"Still nothing?" Shepard asked as I entered the small conference room we were using today, the Spectre oddly alone at the table.

"Nothing." I replied, staying beside the door as Miranda walked past, closing it as she started to settle into a chair.

The cybernetic woman exhaled raggedly, "Seriously? Nothing at all?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not Miss Korolev, or Miss Goto." I shook my head as I took the seat to Miranda's right. "I'm good at reading and studying people, not ferreting out secrets from people who don't especially want to talk with me. All I have are generalities that you can already guess."

Partially glowing eyes flicked to a still-silent Miranda, and then back to me, "Humor me."

I sighed and did so, "Those officers I could approach were nervous but trying not to be. I don't think that they know what's going on either, and they're trying to keep things running as smoothly as possible in the interim. So far that seems to be working, I haven't noticed any rumbles in the local population."

"Regardless," Miranda finally spoke, "Whatever the situation between the Blades and Aria is, I doubt that it is anything that will affect us."

Shepard blinked, "You sound awfully sure about that."

"I am entirely sure about it." Black hair shifted as she shook her head, "I know Kean, as do the both you, and if this did implicate our groups we can be sure that he would have delegated as much of the work as possible in our direction."

I smiled a little, "Likely true."

Before Shepard could reply to that, the door opened once more, revealing a trio of Asari, the three looking all the more odd for their differences in height. Shyeel T'Voth was a good four inches shorter than Liara T'Soni, who was a good four inches shorter by the even younger Erana T'Donna behind them. I focused on the more pertinent bits of their appearance even as my smile grew at the odd sight, noting how exhausted both of the Blades women looked, and how quickly they found the seats closest to the door.

"Right, sorry for the delay." Shyeel spoke as she slumped back in her chair, "Things are slowing down, but still a lot of shit in the water."

Shepard pursed her lips, relaxing only when Liara walked around the table, resting a hand on her wife's shoulder before sitting beside her. "You ever going to enlighten us?"

"Probably not, nothing you want to get involved in." The Asari rolled her shoulder, "And trust me, you're happier not knowing... just more stress and crap that none of us really want to deal with right now."

Liara sighed, "Politics?"

The branded woman grunted quietly, probably in the affirmative, but when she spoke she moved the conversation away from the subject. "T'Soni, you called this meeting didn't you? I'm guessing your bitch of a parent managed to get us something?"

"She did." I noted the lack of defense for her father even as she continued, "It touches on the remaining Cerberus forces, specifically on the fact that they are currently undergoing a heavy reorganization effort of their own."

I perked up at once, as did Miranda, her voice tense, "She was able to infiltrate the Illusive Man's cell?"

"No." The maiden shook her head, "Unfortunately. She was, however, able to recover data from an old Project Horus facility before it could properly be cleaned out. The agent in question was killed by Kai Leng, but was able to transmit the data beforehand."

As she spoke, her omni-tool activated as she linked it to the table's systems, a holographic map of the coreward Traverse appearing with a single blinking icon revealing itself near the galactic core. "This is the Thorne System, entirely unremarkable, only given a cursory survey by an automated probe a few centuries ago. Cerberus, however, found something far more interesting when they scouted the location."

The map shifted a she made a gesture, showing instead a crisp image of a gas giant, with a distinctive black shadow lurking beneath the upper cloud layer. I sucked in a slow breath as my eyes traced the outline, the tentacle like arms that protruded from its front, "A Reaper."

"A destroyed one." Liara confirmed quietly, "Their data seems to indicate that only a few of its systems remain online, keeping it airborne, but a good third of the ship is little more than wreckage."

Miranda leaned forwards, regarding the shape. "Did they send a salvage team?"

"Several." A small head shake, "We think this is where they retrieved most of the artifacts that they were using in their experiments. They established some kind of research outpost within the hull, but their order for the team to pull out and return to the Alliance went unacknowledged."

"Indoctrinated then." My superior shook her head tiredly, "Or killed by Reaper assets."

Shepard nodded, "I'd agree. What does Aethyta want us to do with this? Retrieve any intelligence we can?"

A blue hand waved at the image, "Partly. According to the last records sent from one Doctor Chandana, they may have located some kind of internal hangar, with an alien vessel docked inside. They weren't sure but there is a slim chance that it belonged to a predecessor species to the Collectors, containing the proper systems to breach the Omega-4 relay."

I frowned, "Even if it does, how long would it take for us to understand the system?"

Shepard shook her head, "We probably couldn't, but we could probably pick out any Reaper tech on board and figure out which one is their IFF, or whatever they would use in the same role. Still not the best plan, I'll admit that, but since the Collectors blew apart their systems on what ships the pirates grabbed..."

"...it is worth the attempt." Miranda finished. "When do you wish to leave?"

"Tomorrow, if possible." Liara nodded to the image once more, "My father is sending an operations team to investigate with or without us, if we leave by fourth shift we'll arrive at roughly the same time they do."

I glanced at Miranda just as she turned to look at the two silent Asari, her voice questioning, "T'Voth? You don't have to bring your primary team if you are otherwise occupied, one of your secondary Lancer teams would be acceptable."

"No, probably best for us to get out of here for a while." Shyeel rolled her left shoulder, "Find new and exciting people to kill, distract us from the shit going down. Erana, you got our schedule?"

The young maiden nodded, her voice proving to be a softer echo of her sister's, though from the slow way she spoke she was clearly picking her words carefully to avoid revealing just what the crisis was. "Cieran is supposed to be finishing up the... meetings, then to have a few days off while the regimental commanders... convene while Miss Ayle goes on her... inspection tour."

"Right." The elder Asari sighed, "She'll have to wait a bit, or we can just leave Ghai in charge. T'Soni? Can you send me that file? Erana can run it up to Cieran while I hunt down Ayle and Ghai."

Liara did so, and then to no one's surprise, the other two Asari simply rose and departed without saying anything further. Miranda pursed her lips at the abrupt departure before turning back to the subject that interested the pair of us the most. "What other intelligence was she able to glean?"

"The locations of a few other operatives in the process of being recalled." Came the reply, "But nothing else of real value. Her evaluation is that the Illusive Man is leaving the Traverse and Terminus entirely to your organization while he takes the opportunity to consolidate in the Alliance."

I bit my lip softly, that would leave Teddy in even more danger than he already was, jeopardizing both his life as well as our entire economic cell. If we lost them, lost our master lists, the investments, shares, real estate deals, and myriad other ways that we earned money we'd rapidly lose any real ability to pay our people. Not that anyone joined Cerberus to get rich, but our people likely wouldn't be happy to work for free either.

And then there was the minor matter of not being able to bribe people, buy new equipment, or be able to do much of anything without resorting to petty thievery or bribes.

"I see." Miranda exhaled softly, "And there has still been no infiltration of his new cells there?"

Liara shook her head, "If she has managed it, she has not informed me. What of your own efforts?"

I elected to speak up, though I did so cautiously, "We know he has consolidated into three cells, and is cleaning house. Several people we knew to be agents were forced out of their political or personal positions. Some were... well, deadwood that he was likely clearing, but others were skilled in their fields and have probably been reassigned."

Shepard's eyes narrowed, "What kind of specialists?"

"Several gunsmiths," Miranda replied, "A brother and sister pair who have contacts in the Turian arms industry, large-scale communications specialists... we believe he is aiming to advance Alliance technology as rapidly as possible given whatever time we have before the Reapers arrive."

"And," I added quietly, "Expanding his control over the Alliance at the same time."

The Spectre didn't seem to like that anymore than we did, exchanging a dark look with her wife before abruptly changing the subject. After a few moments of conversation on when we could expect their people to arrive on the _Normandy_ the next day, along with them sending us the same files they had given the Blades, the two made their departure, leaving Miranda and I alone in the small room.

"Well," I murmured quietly, "Now they know."

"Yes." She replied, closing her eyes and settling back into her chair. "We'll have to see if her allies are able to assist at all."

I shook my head slightly, "I don't know. Most of the people who support Shepard are old warhorses who like her anti-political style, not the kind of politicians we would need to isolate Terra Firma."

"I don't believe that is possible at this point." She sighed, "We need any and all eyes that we can get. Especially given that Theodore is likely now in danger, his estate in New York is hardly secure against someone like Kai Leng."

"What do we do?" I asked. "Pull his family and agents out, or send people to defend him?"

Miranda was silent for several moments before she exhaled through her nose. "Given how limited our manpower is, likely the former. We don't have anyone capable of holding off Phantom agents, and Kean would never send a Lancer team to Earth no matter how much I offered to pay him."

"Probably." I agreed, "Maybe we could relocate them to Bekenstein? We still have allies there."

"It's there or the Citadel." Her head shook, "I know both Kean and Aethyta have some assets there that we could potentially utilize in addition to our own people. In either case, I desire some time to think about it, and I will make the final decision tomorrow."

Grimacing, I tried to buoy her morale a bit. "At least our worst case scenario didn't come to pass after the battle."

The operative closed her eyes tiredly, "Just because our alliance did not fall apart at Horizon does not mean that we are doing well... but I'll concede that we could be doing far worse "

I nodded, "Honestly, I think we'd be doing better if not for the Blades' sudden distraction. I think Shepard was starting to adjust to them, and you and Kean seem to have established some kind of friendship."

"And," Miranda asked, "What do you base that on?"

"The fact that you refer to each other by name now." I smiled a little. "That's something."

She scowled, " _He_ may use my name, but now all of his companions have started to use that abominable nickname. Have you heard Chi try and pronounce the word? Her accent mangles it into something nearly painful."

I couldn't help but giggle slightly, if only because she was correct. Combining the Quarian's soprano voice with her heavy emphasis on the consonants turned the word 'Frankenstein' into a high pitched mess of syllables. T'Voth couldn't manage much better, though T'Donna's crisp Illium accent actually allowed her to sound nearly Germanic.

"Still," She continued, "I am willing to accept that annoyance so long as the _status quo antebellum_ is preserved. Our working relationship with the Blades remains better than what I feared it would be, as does our liaison with Shepard."

"Yes..." I sighed as I found my well-intentioned morale boost being forced to give way to real concern. "But _their_ relationship remains rather tense, and it is going to lead to problems. The wounded spending a good amount of time with one another in the hospital may build some new links, but I still don't see that building any kind of agreement between Kean and Shepard."

"Kelly..." There was a long sigh from her own lips, "I don't believe that we can ask for anymore than we currently have. In either case we can discuss such things on the _Normandy_ , I would rather the Blades not hear everything we have to say."

Which was a good point. The Blades' sense of honor when it came to guests generally insured that they wouldn't do anything with what they overheard, but it was best not to give details all the same. "Did you still want me to go over the data?"

She nodded as she rose, "If you could. I have to contact Peregrine base for updates, plan for the situation in the Alliance, and then supervise preparations to depart. We can have a conference in the morning to discuss your findings, and any plans you wish to bring up in regards to coordination."

"Will do." I gave her a sketchy little salute, watched as she rolled her eyes in reply, and then departed, leaving me alone in the room. I briefly considered staying here to work on everything, decided it wasn't nearly comfortable enough to warrant as much time as this would probably take, and rose to head to my preferred haunt.

Or rather, to my preferred haunt when Kasumi wasn't available to pay for our entrance into the exclusive brothel that we enjoyed. Not that I had been so crass or desperate as to purchase sexual services just yet, but having a half-naked man or woman massaging your shoulders and back while you worked and ate gourmet food was simply incredible.

Dodging the mercenary officers and staff members who filled their main headquarters, I was surprised to see Shepard still in the entrance hall, speaking with Garrus Vakarian and Nikita Korolev, with Liara T'Soni conspicuous for her absence. While the Turian was in his usual blue armor, one mandible and most of his face covered in medigel bandaging, the ex-Detective had elected to return to the dark uniform of a Silver Blade officer, one sleeve tied in a knot just beneath the nub of her arm.

Not hesitating at all, or missing the dark looks the door guards were giving the three, I wandered in their direction. "Is there another new crisis?"

"No." Korolev bit off the word before either of her friends could speak, her eyes not quite sizing me up for a coffin. "So you can go away."

"Nikita." Shepard's voice wasn't a bark, but there was a clear order within it all the same.

The woman grimaced as though physically pained, but she managed to move her dark lips to form a word that might have been an apology, but was so muttered as to be unintelligible.

I pursed my lips, still not entirely sure where her anger came from, or how she still held onto it. Her early antagonism towards me I'd entirely understood, she had just been pulled out of a Cerberus torture chamber after all, but that visible rage had continued ever since. It was an almost irrational level of anger, given that she knew full well that I and the others had quit the old Cerberus because the same excesses she had been a victim of, had helped rescue her even. It had to speak of an older pain, one that none of the files I had access to explained.

Still, as curious as I was, I had too much data to go over... and this was hardly the place to try and provoke a response. The mercenaries would properly appreciate the show, but I doubted very much that Shepard would. "It's all right, just curious. I was going to get some food and drinks to go with these reports, if anyone wants to join me."

"Thank you," Shepard replied politely on their behalf, even as Korolev made to cross her arms, realized she only had the one, and self-consciously shifted back and forth a little while the rest of us politely pretended to not notice. "But I need to check on Kasumi, and Liara and I have dinner plans of our own after."

I opened my mouth to say that was quite all right, only for Garrus to speak up, "I would like that, actually. Nikita?"

The tanned woman blinked in surprise, "I.. uh, no thanks. Have things to do."

More than a little taken aback myself, I managed a cheerful smile as the Turian spoke a few quick goodbyes before the two of us departed the building, plunging into the crowded streets of Illium Minor. The general rumble of public conversation was too loud to let us speak easily, and we walked in quiet but companionable silence as we moved away from the docks and what passed for the district's 'downtown' zone.

Things quieted down as we entered the increasingly militarized areas near the great wall that had been erected on the 'surface' level; the fabulous casinos, drug dens, and restaurants intended to lure in wealthy pirates and Omega's elite giving way to the bars and brothels mostly occupied by the Blades own soldiery and staff. The crowds didn't vanish, the District was damnably overcrowded no matter where you went, but they did thin enough that I could inquire as to why I wasn't alone.

"So," I asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Vakarian flicked his healthy mandible in a little twitch, the Turian variation of a negligent shrug. "Shepard thinks I need to branch out more."

I hummed, not buying that at all. "You knew Jacob."

"We spent most of our time discussing weapons and the mission," He shook his head, "I didn't know much about him personally. Seemed like a good man."

"He was." I replied, turning the puzzle over in my head. "Garrus, may I call you Garrus?"

"Yes."

I nodded, "Turians don't usually do evasion well, and you're doing it worse than most. Be honest with me."

Garrus didn't say anything for several steps, "Not in public. Where are we going?"

"Kean's headquarters, there's a restaurant on the second floor with private rooms." My head shook a little, "One of the few places on station where you can be absolutely sure that no one is listening in."

"Good." He replied, falling silent once more as we continued on.

It didn't take us long to reach the converted casino, its guards barely glancing at the pair of us as we walked inside. Inside, the main floor was quiet; with nearly of the Omega regiments still off-station, only a few scattered officers were present to man the extensive command and coordination equipment. Most were in the silver-heavy uniforms of their para-military police force, evidently running their small peace keeping group from here. A few officers with the blue uniforms of trainees lurked near a corner, probably the first recruits of a hypothetical Ninth Omega regiment trying to work out how they were going to form such a thing.

While a few glanced up at us as we passed, none greeted us, or watched for long. I thought that the lack of communication suited Garrus just fine, even as it made me slightly uncomfortable to realize just how much of Kean's distaste for the Turian had disseminated through his organization. Had I been alone, I was sure I would have gotten at least polite bows or casual waves, and it rather underscored my point to Miranda.

Ikithi, the Asari waitress who I knew by name, was extremely cool when we arrived as the mildly full restaurant, the bar filled with off-duty officers, saying nothing after I confirmed that I wanted my usual room.

"Is it Kean's influence, or do they all really hate you?" I asked as the door closed behind Ikithi, leaving us alone in what basically amounted to a very small dining room. The place had a dozen of the private little chambers, and from what I'd heard were mostly used for private meals between Senior Captains.

Garrus tapped a talon on the wooden table, "Both. Lot of people on Omega hated what I was trying to do, but they only knew me as Archangel. Kean was the one who didn't bother keeping that little fact quiet once all of this started."

Leaning back in the comfortable chair, I hummed softly, "Most people don't care to be told how to live their lives, especially from outsiders."

"Most people don't own slaves, profit from narcotic sales, and actively encourage piracy." He replied flatly, visibly clenching his fist before calming down. "I wanted to talk with you about a few things, and yes, Shepard _has_ been harping on all of us to get know to more people in your organization. Figured we could start there."

I cocked my head a little to one side, doing my best to show my curiosity in my body language. Turians were a pain to emulate compared to Asari, Salarians, or Batarians, they used their mandibles for most of their expressions, but I thought that he appreciated the effort all the same. "I'm guessing you don't approve of us."

"I don't have anything against the agenda." The Turian shook his head, "Spirits, there's more than enough groups like it in the Hierarchy and Republics, and don't even get me started on the STG. Your little rogue group at least seems like you know where to draw the line between protecting your species and attacking others."

I nodded slightly, "Then the issue is Shepard, isn't it? You're worried we're going to use her without her permission."

"I'm worried that you'll use her, period." He replied flatly. "Shepard's my best friend, and I respect her like no one else in this galaxy, but she's not a politician. Lawson already has her in a corner thanks to Sparatus keeping her identity quiet, and that's not even including whatever you could make up about the years where she was dead."

Which was true. All it would take was a properly framed reveal to portray us and the Spectre as a package deal, to imply that she had never died at all, but had been working with Cerberus in secret for years, thus leaving her in a very difficult place. And, if I was reading his concern correctly, he was worried that Miranda might be able to convince or trick her into remaining firmly allied with us even if we _didn't_ utilize our less than moral options.

"I see you picked a few things up on the Citadel." I kept my tone mild, disarming. "Please, we aren't about to jeopardize our working relationship by doing anything so crass. A long term alliance _is_ a goal, I won't lie about that, but we hardly need or desire that to be a public fact."

His mandible twitched once more, "To what end? Where does your new Cerberus go from here?"

"Primarily?" I shook my head, feeling very real tiredness creep into my voice as I remembered the news T'Soni had brought, along with what little EVA had been able to ferret out for us, "Cutting the Illusive Man's cancer out of the Alliance as best we can. He's leaving us alone only because we're still serving his purposes, once the Collectors are dealt with that's probably going to change. If we can pull that off we'll move back to Cerberus' original purpose; protecting the Alliance from economic sabotage, quiet abductions, and foreign interference."

Garrus' cold eyes regarded me, but he didn't have the chance to speak as Ikithi returned with our drinks and took my dinner order. Only once she had departed once again did he resume, "All of which having a Spectre around to back you up would be useful for, especially if you had leverage on her."

"A Spectre who genuinely believes we're trying to do the right thing would be more so." I countered. "Especially since anyone stupid enough to try and blackmail Shepard deserves what happens to them."

"True." He relaxed slightly, evidently believing me. As well he should have, because I'd meant the words. Of course, if an emergency situation came up, there was always a chance that we'd have to risk it, but I knew that Miranda considered such a crass move to be an absolute last resort. "That's good to hear."

Taking a sip from my drink, I enjoyed the flavor of the mixed drink, including the light aftertaste from the Asari rum. "Any other questions?"

Garrus took a moment of his own to enjoy the Turian brandy that he had ordered before replying, "You figure out a new name yet?"

I sighed again, "You have no idea how many have been thrown around, but right now I think Miranda is leaning towards Heimdallr; an old god who represented foresight, and who watched the universe for signs that the end of the world approached. Not exactly original, but neither was Cerberus."

He chuckled quietly, "Nothing wrong with the obvious if it gets the point across."

"True." I nodded, taking another sip before setting my cup down. "May I ask you something in turn?"

His mandible flicked. "Depends on what it is. I'd rather not talk about my personal life, or about our hosts. Don't know you well enough to get into either of those things."

I waved a hand, "I'm well aware of who you are, your relationship with Korolev, and why you really don't like Kean. I wanted to ask-"

"Wait," He held a hand up as his eyes narrowed. "We've never really spoken, so just how do you know me?"

Shaking my head a little, I gave him a sympathetic look, "Garrus, you're not an overly complicated person, and just because we haven't spoken doesn't mean that I haven't read reports about you, observed how you act, that kind of thing."

The tall man leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, "Now I'm curious, what do you think you know about me?"

"No." I replied simply, "You don't, especially not from me."

"I think that-"

"No, Garrus Vakarian, you do not." My mask broke entirely, my voice becoming cutting as his eyes widened in surprise. "You only tolerate such conversations from Shepard, and only in certain circumstances. I want to enjoy a pleasant lunch with simple conversation, not begin a confrontational argument about your motivations."

He fell silent for several minutes as I nursed my drink, my eyes half-closed as I carefully put the relaxed smile and relaxed slump back into place. When he spoke again it was to politely, if coolly, inquire as to how Miranda was handling Jacob's death. Our conversation began to warm up once more after perhaps ten or fifteen minutes, as my food arrived, the topic turning to work as I brought out the tablet with the Broker intel on it.

Of course, our discussion on the upcoming mission didn't last long as priority calls came in from both Shepard and Miranda, telling us to get to the docks as quickly as possible. Apparently a Quarian ship had just demanded docking rights, carrying Tali'Zorah nar Rayya... and right behind them was an utterly massive fleet of warships, cargo ships, and transports all carrying Silver Blade IFFs despite the fact that the local Blades seemed to have no idea who they even were.

Omega... always the most enjoyable of places.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude XI: Storm Crow**_

 _Well, took longer than I would have liked, but managed to get this together from Kelly's point of view. This is basically the first half of the set up for the next operation, the second half will be in the next interlude. I know I've been juggling my plans quite a bit for these interludes, so take from my 'plans' what you wish, but at the moment the goal is for Voya and Ash to share the next chapter. If Voya's section goes on too long, Ash may end up getting the first chapter of the next operation entirely to herself._

 _As for the next operation, the main focus is going to swing back towards Cieran and Miranda more than Shepard._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ ** _Thanks, Kat_**_

* * *

 _ ** _Review Responses:_**_

TheRedMezek → Cieran and Ayle are very similar, which was partly why I had a difficult time writing her (I think I referenced their similarities in Ayle's cerberus report way back when). Their main differences weren't really on display given the situation in the last chapter either. Ayle and Cie have very different long term goals, and as has been referenced, she prefers to be more hands on, more regimented in contrast to Cie's laissez-faire, delegate as much as I canattitude.

Rfpizzle → Their influence on Omega has long been capped to its current limits, for a lot of reasons that I may go into on the forums if you want to discuss how the rest of the Station/Terminus views the Blades.

Griezz → You would be correct.


	32. Interlude XI: Storm Crow

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude XI: Storm Crow**

* * *

 **Silent Witness**

 _Voya'chi vas Xentha_

 **Date** : 11-28-2187  
 **Location** : Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System

* * *

I groaned as the hot water of the shower poured down over me, my mane hanging over my shoulders, protecting my face even as it became a sopping weight attached to my scalp. Normally I simply set the bath to a more mist-like setting, it was going to take at least an hour to dry out all of my hair now that it had absorbed so much water, but after two full shifts of reading and responding to reports, I felt that I'd deserved a relaxing hour or two.

Of course, if Cieran was in here instead of out there, it would be even more...

My fists clenched as I growled at myself, leaning forwards until my head smacked into the wall, letting the water pour down my back. Outside of the shower the soft buzzing sound abruptly stopped, followed by a curious call, "What was that?"

"Nothing." I growled back, using my tone to tell him to drop it.

There was a long pause, my brain helpfully providing a picture of him shrugging before the buzzing noise resumed. I didn't mind him shaving and trimming his mane while I showered, but he was doing it without a shirt, and seeing his impressively scarred chest had done more than merely get me going. Especially with the exotic black hair loose and hanging over his shoulders...

Closing my eyes, I shook my head, trying to force some level of sanity back into it. Normally I had a hard time focusing on the short list of Cieran's attributes that I found attractive, but ever since he'd made me wear that stupid _callisho,_ since I'd curled up beside him on the couch and realized that I could use my mouth without having a mental breakdown, it had started to seem like I'd had harder time _not_ noticing them. Instead of being turned off by his alien proportions, I enjoyed the color of his hair. Instead of disliking his odd fingers, I enjoyed the stalking, prowling motions he walked with when he became emotional.

And it wasn't as if I didn't enjoy what he could do with his lips and fingers, even if I didn't let him go farther. Not that he complained about the limitation, as much as I knew that part of him wanted to treat me to the more... combative sex that he often indulged in with his prior lovers. I... wasn't ready for that, not yet, but I'd surprised myself by starting to _want_ to work my way up to that point after our little dinner date. I _wanted_ to please him like he did to me, even if the stupid _bosh'tet_ would never let himself ask for it.

"Cieran." I exhaled his name, keeping my eyes closed even as I felt the skin around my eyes heat up.

The razor cut off once more, "Need something? Brush?"

"You haven't showered yet." I swallowed, "So get in here."

Silence. Then, "Voya, are you-"

Grabbing the door, I slid it open and stuck my head out, drizzling water all over the floor as I glared at him. "I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't. Now shut up and get in here."

Small green eyes blinked at me, but he managed a nod and set his razor aside. I ducked back into the shower, staying under the water while I waited. It didn't take him long to join me, his tall, pale frame briefly letting more cool air in before he closed the door behind him. Experience told me that staying on the offensive was the best means to get over my issues, and I turned to glare at him over my shoulder as best I could while still blushing.

"Wash my mane." I ordered.

Cieran lifted a dark eyebrow, but reached up to take the long strands in his hands as I turned away. The gentle tugs on my scalp were as relaxing as I hoped they would be, and the considerate ass stayed far enough back so that I couldn't even tell if he was aroused. Several minutes passed in the gentle motions until he informed me that he was finished.

"Under the water." I licked my lips nervously, still not quite ready to try what I had in mind. Cie bemusedly did so, letting me shift behind him, my long fingers reaching up to start cleaning his own mane. Despite not being as thick or long as mine, it was a more in depth process, since I also had to add bits of the dye that kept its coloration... and because I kept losing focus in favor of trailing my claws down the thick scars covering his side from hip to ribs.

Then it was time to switch places once again, as Cieran quickly began to clean the rest of my body, making me shiver as his fingers found the skin beneath my hair... and he definitely paid more attention to my breasts and ass than they really warranted. After a few minutes I realized he was deliberately teasing me, making my breath come a little faster as I turned around, leaning up to press my lips and teeth against his neck in a fashion that I knew he enjoyed while my hands started fully exploring his chest. His own drifted down from my head far more slowly, almost bemusedly tugging and petting at the soaked hair on my arms, sides, and then hips.

"Put your hands behind your back." I muttered into his skin, fighting down my nerves, "So I can kneel and-"

His chin nudged my head before I could continue, lowering his lips to bite the left side of my neck gently. While he did that, the hand on my right hip slid around and between my legs, turning my words into a startled hiss of pleasure.

"Cieran..." His mouth shifted as he started to bend further, not quite nuzzling my neck, and then my collar, "I wanted to... oh."

I more or less lost the ability to think coherently as he shifted his lips to my chest and began attending to me in earnest. It was all I could do to mutter curses that I'd wanted to do something pleasant for him first, oaths that he entirely ignored in favor of proving that he'd more than learned how to please me. By the time I came down from the high I was clinging to him to remain upright, and the heat from the shower was becoming oppressive.

"How was that?" He asked, washing his hand off in the stream.

"Smug _keshin..._ " I growled, reaching around and flailing at the nobs a few times before managing to kill the water, leaving us standing in steam.. "Don't look so pleased."

That just made him smirk more openly, his other hand trailing down my back towards my ass. "Should I do it again, maybe while you're on your back on the floor? Or would you prefer it if I went down on you?"

I felt my body shudder a little, entirely approving of that idea. "...You're ruining what was supposed to be time for you."

"Am I?" He asked, trying to guileless but still sounding damnably smug. For all of his protestations about not needing sex, and for all of his refusal to initiate with my express approval, once I got him started he took all together too much delight in making me come apart until I couldn't bare to be touched. "So you _don't_ want me to go down on you?"

Claws tightened into his shoulders, though he didn't so much as make a sound even when little drops of red blood appeared. "... _keshin._ "

A few minutes later I was sprawled back on towels with the ceiling's heating lamp on, trying to accelerate the drying process, while Cieran took his usual, slow, teasing route down my body. While his hands roamed, touching and massaging, his mouth moved over the bare skin of my stomach, purposefully driving me insane with impatience. It was the closest thing to a game that we had, to see how long it would take before I snapped and used my arms and legs to force him where I wanted him.

I had just reached that point, shoving him downwards and snapping a leg around his neck, when there was an extremely hesitant knock on the door.

" _Voya? Cieran?"_ Erana coughed quietly, " _Um, I'm really, really sorry to interrupt, but there's a crisis."_

The fingers of my right hand twitched as though pulling the trigger on a gun, and I all but snarled. "Tell Ayle to handle it."

Another cough. " _She's still down in Gozu, talking with the Lady Warlord."_

I shook my head irritably, my wet hair not rustling with the motion as it should have. "The little bitch or Ghai then."

"Voy-" I flexed my leg, preventing him from even finishing my name... and making my entire body quiver as his lips kept moving for a few moments.

" _Miss Trena was the one who sent me to get you."_ She paused, and when she spoke her voice seemed lower, more emotional, almost angry. " _Shaaryak is here."  
_

I blinked, narrowed my eyes, then cursed as I forced myself to relax, freeing Cieran even as my head dropped back onto the towels behind me. The arousal drained away all too quickly, leaving me tired and frustrated despite my prior release. A glance at Cieran's lower half confirmed he was in much the same state, shaking his head and flexing his left hand as he rose and began to grab at clothing, using a towel to clean his mouth and chin.

Forcing myself to sit up, I started to retrieve my own clothing despite the fact that it would have taken another twenty minutes to dry out my hair, simply yanking it on all as quickly as I could. Considering the state of my body, I grimaced and called out, "Erana, get our formal coats, boots... and my weapons."

" _Yes ma'am."_

"Coat?" He asked as he glanced at me, then he shook his head a little "Ah, right."

I snorted as I pulled a shirt on, wincing as I felt it start to soak through almost at once. Humans may have looked weird, kind of like infants with their sparse or lacking body hair, but I couldn't deny that they had far fewer issues with water than I did. Whatever crisis this was had best be the quickly solved kind, otherwise I would start to freeze in the eternal cold of our rooms. Of course that would at least give us an excuse to resume once we killed everyone responsible for interrupting, so I supposed I could deal with the discomfort. For now.

We helped each other tie our manes back in a high, lazy style, neither of us talking as we finished dressing. The bedroom proved to be as frigid as I'd known it would, but Erana had already retrieved everything, laying them out on our bed, while she stood near the door with her arms crossed beneath her breasts.

"She's in your office," She reported the moment we stepped out, "Along with Miss Trena, Shepard, T'Soni, and two Quarians I don't know. I think they're migrants though, their suits had the full set of equipment and connections and stuff."

"One of them wearing purple?" I asked, throwing my coat on as quickly as possible, buttoning it up to conceal things that no one besides Cieran needed to notice, and to try and forestall the air's bite.

"I think so." She replied with a confused blink, "Why? Someone we know?"

"Someone she got into a fist fight with." Cieran replied, "Did Nynsi offer an explanation, and how did she get here?"

"No, she said she will only talk to you or Miss Ayle." The Maiden's expression became strangely distasteful, and I cursed myself for not knowing why she would dislike the stuck-up bitch. I was... never quite comfortable around Erana. Not because of any fault of the maiden's, if anything she was better company than the big idiot that was her sister, but I was _not_ prepared to have anyone treat me as their mother. Especially not an Asari several times my age.

"She got here with a fleet, but Joa already told them to all head for the base at Nagato and they're turning around." Her head shook a little, wordlessly saying that she didn't know much more than that, "Only her flagship actually docked."

Cieran paused midway through pulling his left boot on, "A _fleet_?"

"Yes sir." A quick nod, "More than twenty warships and a horde of transports."

"Athame's bleeding azure..." He cursed, finishing the motion. A minute or two later we were both formally clad and ready to head out, and I had my pistol and one of my knives secure around my waist. "Erana, want you to stay in here, it's going to be crowded enough in there as it is. Use the private channel to listen in, be ready to mail me any reports I might need."

"Yes sir." Erana repeated, and it was definitely a bad sign about Cie's mental state that he didn't reflexively admonish her for the second word. She probably could have openly called him her father and he wouldn't have reacted.

I strode forwards, stepping in front of Cieran before he could move, using my chin to tell the maiden to leave the room.

"You need to calm down." I paused, then exhaled irritably, "And you need to remember that _I'm_ the one saying that, so take it seriously."

Green eyes blinked, then his shoulders lowered a little as he exhaled. His arms wrapped around my chest, pulling me forwards so our mouths could briefly meet before he turned his head to one side, letting me rub my cheek across his freshly trimmed beard. "Try to keep the insults to a minimum, we don't need Shepard to explode."

My lips twisted a little, the words ruining the pleasant scratching on my skin, "I'm soaking wet and not wearing a suit, that's going to make that inbred shriek even without me saying anything."

"So don't add to it." He shook his head, leaned down to kiss me again, then took a step back. "Please, Voya. No words, no cheek rubs, nothing that will set her off. Stay on mission."

I opened my mouth, closed it, then let out an angry little mewl. Teasing the inbred may have been childish, but it was so incredibly satisfying to see the stuck-up little shits lose their tempers. But... dammit. I had to be above that... for now, at least. "Fine, but the sooner they're gone the better."

Cieran nodded, "Don't worry, we'll deal with them first, kick them out, then find out what in the goddess' bloody name is going on with Nynsi."

I nodded, falling in behind him as we exited the bedroom. Nodding to where Erana was already settled at the living room's console, we made the short walk to the secure door leading to his office, opened it, and then strode into the room. Just as Cieran had predicted it was more than a little crowded, all the more so because we so rarely had more than one or two other people present. T'Soni had taken one of the guest seats, with Shepard looming over her left shoulder, the pair of them not quite glaring at Trena. For her part the little bitch was leaning against the windows, clearly annoyed, but quiet as she listened to Ghai rasp something to her.

The inbred princess was in the other free chair, half-turned to speak with a male standing beside her. She looked much the same as the last time I'd seen her; a perfectly cleaned _reik_ , advanced but light armor covering most of her expensive suit, and obviously custom weapons riding on belt filled with pouches and tools. In contrast, the man beside her was far more interesting. His suit battered and clearly old, but he'd scrounged up something like a _tukar_ to wear over his chest. It was disgustingly plain, a solid blue that matched his simple _reik_ , but the vest had the appropriate tails running down his side, and he'd added a hand-woven black scarf around his neck.

Utterly inadequate compared to what a male should be wearing to a formal meeting, but he was at least trying.

Shaaryak was on the opposite side of the room from the T'Laria, wearing her formal uniform along with her own coat, her posture rigid and unreadable. She noticed our entrance first, her lips parting very slightly although her body language didn't shift in the slightest, and a blink later saw the immobility resumed so quickly I wondered if I hadn't imagined the reaction.

Right, the stuck up highborn was probably a few months or a few years out of date when it came Cieran and I's relationship.

The others glanced in our direction quickly enough. Trena, bitch that she was, noted our matching hair and wet skin, openly smirking as though she knew exactly what had just been interrupted. But where Shepard and T'Soni didn't seem to notice, or at least didn't seem to care, both of the inbred locked their visors onto me and all but ignored Cieran. The princess' fingers tightened on the armrest until her forearms shook, while the civilian shifted almost uncomfortably as he turned to look away, as though seeing a woman without a helmet was simply too much for him to handle.

 _Keelah_ but it was hard not to taunt them but flicking my hair around, or touch my lover's face... I had to keep my jaw clenched to avoid the temptation, and placed both my hands behind my back to make sure I'd have a chance to stop myself even the conversation got heated.

"All right." Cieran spoke after the door had closed behind us, "Crisis? Where's Miranda?"

"Getting the Normandy ready." Shepard replied, "We're going to have to leave sooner than planned."

"Lovely." He replied, settling into his chair while I took a position on his left. "Let's start with that, I'm guessing it involves Zorah here?"

"Yes." The Spectre glanced to her side, "Tali?"

Zorah's gleaming eyes vanished as she closed them, visibly forcing herself to relax before she spoke, "I need Commander Shepard to come with me to Haestrom as soon as possible, there is a chance that she can end the conflict between my people and the Geth."

I blinked in surprise even as Cieran leaned back in his chair, his head cocking to show his own surprise. "What?"

"The Geth are..." She shook her head, finally looking away from me, focusing on him instead. "Not as unified as portrayed. There is a splinter faction opposed to the Reapers, to the war as a whole, and just want to be left alone. They're willing to cooperate and act against the other Geth, possibly saving millions of Quarian lives, but only if certain conditions are met."

"That's bloody something," Trena spoke up, "But what the fuck do they _really_ want?"

"I don't know." Came the reply, "They'll negotiate with me, but only if I bring a mediator that they trust. That's why I need Shepard, and need to get to Haestrom before the attack on Rannoch begins."

I blinked again and raised my voice, "Why would they trust Shepard?"

The Spectre shrugged, "I ran into one of their scout platforms while the Council had me doing pointless errands. It seemed to appreciate being given a name, and being able to converse with organics without gunfire being involved. We... worked together for a month or so, cleaning out a few outposts that Geth fleet left behind on their way to the Citadel."

"Huh." Cieran offered blandly, even as I shook my head a little in confusion. If I was remembering his will correctly, that was something that was supposed to happen later. Still, the change was less concerning than the reminder that she'd been bouncing around the galaxy for a while, and now we had to worry about what else she might have gotten up to during her extended down-time between Noveria and the Citadel.

After a few seconds, Cie shook himself and resumed speaking, "All right, so you want to go tearing off to Haestrom. What about our existing operation? That is rather important as well, and potentially time-critical."

"Stealth." Ghai rasped from her place by the window, "Required, both."

T'Soni nodded slightly in agreement with both points, "Which why we have already come to an arrangement with Miss Lawson, and contacted Spectre Williams. We will be leaving on the _Normandy_ as soon as possible and linking up with her ship at New Canton. There, our team will transfer over to the _North Cape_ , along with Tali, and head for Haestrom. Yourselves and Miss Lawson will head for her base of operations to retrieve additional combat personnel, and then head for the original objective."

"Assuming that your part will go more quickly than ours," Shepard took up the briefing, "You'll double-back and meet up with us when and where possible."

That... wasn't a half-bad plan actually. Additional combat personnel probably meant a replacement mech for EDI, and potentially their other AI's platform as well. Between our two teams we could probably get in and out quickly enough, and then find a few reasons to stall before we got dragged into the inbreds' little war for Rannoch. If Shepard _did_ pull off some kind of miracle, and if we could take even a sliver of credit, that would put Aria in a better mood, potentially obscuring some of what we were doing behind her back.

"I think we can work with that." Cieran agreed, nodding slightly. "I have to speak with Captain Shaaryak and get our gear packed, but I think we'll be good to leave by first shift. What about the Quarian ship?"

There was a mewling cough as the silent male migrant spoke up, still not looking anywhere near me. "With your permission Director, the _Calaruush_ will remain in your dock until Miss Zorah returns. We will of course pay for docking rights and for fuel."

Cie rolled a shoulder in a shrug, "That's fine... you'll probably want to stay on your ship though, for your own safety."

"That will not be a problem." The man, the ship's captain maybe, replied with a stiff little bow. "Thank you."

My lover shrugged again, turning his torso to regard Shepard once more. "What else?"

"Nothing." She replied simply, stepping back as T'Soni rose to her feet. Zorah wasted little time in leaping up as well, having already resumed staring at me rather than focusing on anything else. "We'll get ourselves ready to go, and meet you at the ship by first shift."

Cieran dipped his head, and then the four of them quickly departed, for once politely not wasting words with pointless farewells. We all frowned a little at that, exchanging quick glances of confusion.

"Not that I don't appreciate them learning our culture," I rolled my neck a bit, shifting my posture to something more comfortable, "But that was unusual. They're hiding something."

"No shit." Trena snorted, "Those Quarians were nervous as fuck before you two got here, and they came in a beat up old corvette. That the kind of ship you send official envoys in?"

"No." Shaaryak spoke for the first time, her low but melodic voice easily filling the room. "Especially not given who Zorah's father is. Further, the civilian captain was not clad as their true diplomats, who try to cover their suits entirely, and who usually wear silks rather than common cloth."

Cieran grunted softly, "Well, that's not our business, we have enough bloody problems as it is. Nynsi, what the fuck are you doing here?"

The Batarian woman blinked her dark eyes in sequence, "I... was forced to admit certain realities in the Hegemony and elected to depart with my people, and as many others whom I could safely convince to depart along with me."

"Athame's..." There was a sigh, but he refrained from rubbing at his temples. "How many?"

"I have twenty five warships and eighty seven transports," She replied, "One standard brigade, two light brigades of Chen's devising, and an all-Asari Lancer team. In addition to the support personnel, I have forty thousand civilians and ex-slaves who are in need of a new home."

My mouth dropped open, " _What_?"

Shaaryak glanced at me with her lower eyes, "Relations with the Hegemony are likely going to be sour for a few decades as well, I did quite a bit of economic and infrastructural damage on my way out, so we should be on the lookout for SIU reprisals. Also, if you could provide me with a proper escort, I also have a few billion Hegemony credits in hard currency on my flagship that we should deposit on Illium. The exchange rate will be atrocious, but we should achieve a profit of seven or eight hundred million."

We all simply stared at her in varying degrees of shock, with only the little bitch managing to find her voice, "Little Shaaryak... what Athame's bloody name did you do?"

"I opened my eyes." She replied evenly, "And decided to return home."

Cieran's mouth moved slightly, "Seven or eight hundred million? A hundred and twelve ships?"

"And nearly fourteen thousand ground troops." The Batarian crossed her arms imperiously, "I _was_ the head of the third wealthiest family on Khar'shan, though I am not sure that this is the time for details given the prior discussion. My fleet is heading for Nagato at Commander T'Voth's order, she implied it would not be safe here, but I do not think that the colonists would allow them to land."

"No." Cieran exhaled, shaking his head, "They wouldn't... shit, you decided to come back at a very complicated time."

"I guessed." For a split second, an almost fond smile appeared on her teal lips. "I'm guessing we don't have time to discuss it, as usual?"

"Not really... but we have to. Dammit." Cie glanced at me, then at Trena, then at the clock on his desk. "All right. Trena, track down Ayle and tell her to get her ass back up here. She and Joa are going to Novgorod to try and find land and space for everyone, she can go on her tour on the way back. Ghai, go find Shyeel and Illyan and tell them to get ready to go."

I licked my lips as I frowned, "The big idiot isn't in any condition to go anywhere."

"She can limp around the engine room just fine," He shook his head, "And she would flip out if we left without her."

Shaaryak was frowning openly as well now, "And I am not to go with my people?"

"No, you're coming with us to explain just what the fuck happened." Came the blunt reply, "Scales? You're still coming with to replace Illyan on the away team. Ghai, you'll be in command while Ayle and I are gone. Keep with the plans that we worked out over the last few days and keep the guards on alert. Seventh and Second Omega should be returning tomorrow and the day after, make sure they get leave but do it in rotation so no one gets ideas about probing our defenses."

"Very well." I narrowed my eyes at the highborn's easy acceptance, "Can I be told the local situation?"

"Ghai can fill you in." Cieran told her, "I've spent the last six days doing nothing but drown in the problem, forgive me for being sick of talking about it. Tell Joa and Ayle whatever they need to coordinate with your people, then make sure you're ready to leave with us by first shift."

She bowed her head politely, though I didn't think deferentially, while Ghai simply nodded and wrapped her arm around her bondmate's waist. The three left without any further words, departing quickly enough to make their respective preparations. A week of chaos and enough political shit to drown a Krogan, and we were already being flung back out into the grasslands to try fend off the beasts.

"A refugee fleet, a fortune, and the Hegemony wants to kill us again." I muttered, shaking my head. "Bloody _keshin,_ making everything even more complicated right when we didn't need any more problems."

"Right?" Cieran asked, slumping in a very un-Cieran like fashion as he groaned. "We need to think about this."

I glanced at him, "That why you're dragging that uptight bitch with us?"

"That, and I'd rather have Ayle and Joa assert their authority over her people without her looming in the background." He replied, "I don't want them thinking that Nynsi is the final authority just because she got them out of the Hegemony."

My tongue flicked over my lips again, "Might cause problems if their savior isn't around to transfer the authority."

"We have a chain of command for a reason, and right now she's not above either of them." His dark hair swung a little as he shook his head, a few strands having escaped to hang over the left side of his face. "She mentioned Chen still being around, he'll keep things in order for the few days that this will take. Then we'll probably _all_ have to go to Novgorod to sort crap out. Still..."

I frowned, reaching down to grab his chair and pull it away from his desk. "Still what?"

He shrugged as he glanced up at me, his tones becoming thoughtful. "This might actually be a good thing. If the ships are in decent shape, and if the crews are competent, that's a fifty percent increase in our total fleet assets... plus this doubles the number of transports and cargo haulers we've got to get crap off of Omega and Redcliffe."

That was a rather good point. While our fleet's repairs and refits were still ongoing, that would give us a projected strength somewhere above sixty vessels, and the doubling of our merchant fleet would be an immediate asset. _Keelah_ , we might even have enough spare to start actually hauling cargo for profit, which would be a huge factor given the state of our finances after losing the Redcliffe contract thanks to Aria's ploy. Shaaryak's little fortune would give us some room to work, but I'd had to deal with enough budget sheets over the past week to know just how quickly most of a billion credits could vanish.

Still, it would at least let us pay all the extra people she'd dragged with her, at least until we could find more income.

"We can get equipment and skilled labor off of Redcliffe more quickly with the extra ships..." Cieran was openly musing now, though I was more intent on the dark hair increasingly cover his left eye "And with Novgorod gaining forty thousand people in need of work, that could kick-start our industrial options far ahead of schedule."

I hummed in agreement, but focused more on reaching out to brush the strands away, revealing the white lines above and below his eye. _That_ had been an earned marker, with Thul and the Kithans spending several weeks not shutting up about how he and Shyeel had brow-beat their way through the miserable trenches despite their accumulated wounds. Mostly literally as their weapons had overheated and they'd both been out of grenades, forcing them to kill Vorcha and militia soldiers alike with knives, their fists, and whatever improvised clubs they could use.

"...and you're not listening at all." He sighed as he noticed my fixation, and the fact that I hadn't so much as realized that he'd continued speaking on our possible options moving forwards. "Really?"

"We were very rudely interrupted." I reminded him sharply, for once not flushing as I stated my desire. "Right when I had you where I wanted you... and we do have two hours."

His pale features reddened slightly, "What's gotten into you?"

"You, eventually." The flirtatious words came out without any real input from my brain, and this time I _did_ feel my eyes darken in abject embarrassment as his lips parted and his own eyes widened. "I... not _that_ far today, but I still want to please you with my... Don't look at me like that, idiot male."

"It's just-"

Growling, I snapped my arm down, wrapping my fingers around the back of his neck. He went still in startlement as I carefully pricked the right side with my claws, his chin ducking to the let in submission almost on reflex. Part of me still wanted to let him be more aggressive... but most of me flushed and trembled as he accepted my unspoken command. "Up, we're going back to the bathroom to dry off and... to resume. Erana! I know you're still listening, start getting our equipment packed, and kill anyone who tries to come into the suite for the next two hours."

* * *

 _ **Next up is Operation IV: Mechanical Accelerant**_

 _And as usual Voya's section went two and a half thousand words past where I thought it would go, so Ash's perspective is getting bumped once again. I'm going to try and get her a chapter in the next operation, but if I don't she'll assuredly get an interlude all to herself in the next round._

 _Here we have the final setup and the rough plan for the next arc. Cieran and Miranda are heading to the Reaper corpse, while Shepard and Ash are escorting Tali to meet Legion and try to end the Geth-Quarian war. By the outline, which astute readers will take with a grain of salt, has the next arc following this progression: Voya – Cieran – Cieran - Shepard – Voya – Voya. Given that Voya just received this interlude, she's obviously not going to get all three. It's far more likely that Cieran or Miranda will be the next point of view as a result._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ ** _Thanks, Kat_**_

* * *

 _ ** _Review Responses:_**_

 _5 Coloured Walker → If anyone would speak Latin or use phrases from the language, I would think Miranda would._

Commander Teizan → At the very top of each chapter it indicates who's POV we're in.


	33. Operation: Mechanical Accelerant I

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Mechanical Accelerant**

* * *

 _ **Closed Meeting Notes – Admiralty Board**_

 _Rael'Zorah: How dare you release that traitor!_

 _Daro'Xen: Still in a mood I see. How lovely._

 _Rael'Zorah: Give me one reason I shouldn't throw you into the brig along with him!_

 _Daro'Xen: Because without Koris commanding the civilian fleet, and without myself commanding the science division, your crusade will be little more than a pitiful means of committing mass suicide._

 _\- recorder notes scuffing noises -_

 _Han'Gerral: Dammit Rael, stop! Calm down! Shala!_

 _\- noises continue for several seconds, sound of an electrical discharge -_

 _Shala'Ran: Xen!_

 _Daro'Xen: The fool was going to injure himself, perhaps he will regain his sanity when he awakens._

 _Han'Gerral: Assaulting a fellow Admiral is grounds for arrest!_

 _Daro'Xen: *scoffs* As is illegally detaining the Admiral of the Civilian Fleet. The only charges against Koris were those you invented, he was entirely within his rights to send the little Zorah off on her pointless errand._

 _Han'Gerral: That does not mean that-_

 _Daro'Xen: Use your heads for something besides holding your helmets in place. Two of the live-ships were threatening to leave the flotilla if Koris was not immediately released and pardoned._

 _Han'Gerral: We would have stopped them._

 _Daro'Xen: What a lovely precedent to set mere days before we attempt to end the Geth once and for all. I'm sure no one in the civilian fleet would mutiny rather than fight, and Koris has already indicated he will obey our legal authority._

 _Shala'Ran: You should still have worked with us instead of taking unilateral action._

 _Daro'Xen: No, I shouldn't have._

* * *

 **Scaled Perspective**

 _(Trena T'Laria)_

 **Date** : 12-01-2187  
 **Location** : _SR Normandy II_ , Attican Traverse

* * *

Steel rang as the training rods glanced off of one another, my own neatly parrying Shyeel's strike to the side before sliding down her 'weapon' as I lunged forwards. The taller matron growled a curse through her mouth-guard, quickly backpedaling and sweeping her weapon to the right to stop me from striking her arm. Unfortunately for her, the combination left her ass entirely off-balance and unprepared for the throw that I unleashed right into her gut.

Her barriers _mostly_ held, but it still sent her stumbling, letting me jab the tip of my stand-in sword into her thigh, pelvis, and then left tit in rapid order. The last drew a muffled curse from her, and snickers from our audience even as she dropped her rod to concede the match. Smirking a little at her glare, I yanked the crap protecting my teeth out of my mouth, working my jaw a little in relief.

"My match, five to three." I grinned, though it probably looked more tired than cocky. Shyeel wasn't the best swordswoman around, bitch had no actual training in the art, but she _did_ have plenty of practical experience killing shit with a blade. Like most of the self-taught types, her style was very rough but also brutal, practical, and pretty goddess-damned effective.

It just had some gaps that a better trained bitch could exploit.

"You've got to get better at that recovery after I parry." I chided her for the ninth or fiftieth time, "You keep bloody over-committing to the attack and leaving your tits hanging out."

She spat her own mouth-guard out, rubbing at her chest. "I fucking know, not easy to adjust."

Illyan grinned at the opening from where she was sitting on a crate, her right leg entirely bound and straightened out before her, "You have to speak loudly Trena, and repeat yourself a lot. Otherwise the honored matriarch isn't likely to-shit!"

Shyeel's weapon sailed through the air, the maiden only barely getting her arms up to protect her face. That impact still hurt her plenty from the way she yelped, she'd probably have a nice set of bruises there tomorrow.

"I've got another two centuries before I'm a fucking Matriarch." The branded Matron growled, "Make another crack about my age and we'll see how _you_ like getting your breasts hit by one of these things."

That earned her a glare, and a shift as though Illyan was about to heave herself up to physically retaliate, then her eyes dropped down her leg. In the end she merely grimaced and settled back into place, reaching down to pick up the training weapon. "Athame's ass you're in a mood today."

"I spent the last day running interference to keep Voya from fucking with Zorah." Came the irritated reply, "Of course I'm in a mood, especially since short-ass over here wouldn't even have sex with me."

I glowered at her, "You crawled into my bed three hours before I had to get up. I've got a _few_ fucking limits, all right?"

Illyan snorted, clearly not believing that... for pretty good reasons if I was being honest with myself. "How did the interference go? Didn't hear any gunfire, so I'm presuming Shepard's team got off alive."

Shyeel sighed, abruptly looking as tired as she probably was, and she shambled over to sit beside the maiden, "First ten hours was easy, she was passed out with Cie, but then she got up and he stayed out for once."

I frowned, "He actually slept, or he just stay in the little cabin they're in?"

"Actually slept," She shrugged, "According to Voya at least."

And she could at least be relied on to tell the truth when it came to Cieran's health, even if she could barely be relied on for anything else. Well, except for killing things viciously and following Cie's orders to the letter, if not to the actual intent. For all of Shyeel's bitching, Voya had mostly behaved, and hadn't stalked Zorah or done anything so overt. The only issue that had occurred had been when the princess had gone to visit Vakarian in his lair, at the same time that Voya and I had been eating a late dinner along with the two engineers.

It had been weird as shit to see the Migrant all but fly into a rage, while the Taker beside me hadn't done anything besides _smirk_ and openly enjoy her food without her helmet on. Unfortunately for me and the Humans, there hadn't been a fight to bet on, Zorah simply stalking into the forward battery after quivering silently in rage for a while, and not emerging until after we'd finished eating. A little amusing, but hardly anything worth freaking the fuck out over.

Really, Shyeel only had her own bloody paranoia to blame, because I was pretty sure that Voya had noticed her hovering and started implying she was going to do shit just to make her friend panic... just for her own sick amusement.

"That's something." Turning my training blade down, I planted its tip into the floor and leaned on it like a cane. "How are those two doing?"

Shyeel sighed, "Who bloody knows. Getting answers out of them about how they're doing is like getting a straight answer from a Salarian. Erana's probably the only one with an idea about how serious it is, but she won't tell me anything."

I glanced to Illyan, who rolled a broad shoulder. "She says its private, and that if I want to be in bed between them she isn't going to help me."

My lips pursed, "Don't tell me you're still pining."

"I'm not _pining_." Came the instant retaliation, "You make me sound like I'm stalking them and constantly trying to get into their bed."

"No," I shook my head, "I think you've spent a lot of the last few months avoiding them, and trying to think of ways to get into _his_ bed. There's a difference there."

Illyan scoffed, but her heart wasn't in it. "Can we not talk about how depressing my romantic life is?"

I frowned, glanced at Shyeel, but only got a slight shake of her head in reply. Rolling a shoulder in a shrug of my own, I went with the current and changed the topic, "How's the fucked up leg?"

The maiden grimaced, "It's not _that_ fucked up."

I grunted, "Fine, what the fuck is it then?"

"Sore, since I'm not taking the painkillers." Illyan replied, her voice becoming tired. "Soon as the Doctor is done checking Shepard's implants I get to go in for another inspection. Last time Mordin said I was ahead of schedule, perks of being young I guess."

Shyeel shook her head, "And whatever weird crap Cerberus figured out to inject you with."

"That too." A broad shoulder rolled, "It probably won't take the full three months, might get this stupid thing off in a few weeks, but goddess knows when I'll be able to fight."

It was a hard not to sigh again. _That_ last bit was clearly killing the big maiden, and was already affecting the other three even if they hadn't openly revealed anything. Not that they had to say shit. Illyan shouldn't have been with at all. She _should_ have been stuck in the hospital in Illium Minor with a heavy duty regenerator stuck to her thigh to accelerate crap further, but evidently even the idea of leaving one of their own behind was too much. It was going to be interesting as fuck to see how this mission went, all things considered.

As though summoned by our conversation, Illyan's omni-tool flickered to life, bearing a message that the Doctor was ready for her. Groaning, she hauled herself mostly upright, grabbed her single crutch, handed Shyeel her training weapon, and made her way to the elevator. I wasted little time in claiming her seat once she'd gotten up, watching her go with my lips pursed.

"All right." I asked once the doors had closed behind her fit ass, "What the fuck is she up to? Don't try and tell me that she's given up on the ape, because I'll fucking call you a liar and bounce you around this bay a few times."

"She hasn't," Shyeel sighed, leaning back against the wall behind us, "But she knows the only way _that_ is ever going to happen again is if Voya signs off on it. Empirical evidence says she's attracted to Asari, and according to her brother she isn't a stranger to being with more than one person."

I grunted. "Assuming he's not just inventing shit."

She nodded, "Assuming that, and that was before she got caught on Omega in either case. Not exactly the same person anymore. Still, most of their bickering is just habit at this point, they don't really hate each other like everyone thinks."

"That doesn't mean she'll want Illyan in their bed with them." I countered. The other matron simply shrugged, but there was a tired acceptance to her posture that made me groan, "Goddess, tell me she doesn't have a plan. Her plans _never_ fucking go well."

"She does." A very heart-felt sigh accompanied the words, "It's pretty typical Illyan. She's going to overdo it, over-think it, and will probably end up hurt as a result. Tried to talk her out of it, didn't go well."

I grimaced, "That bad?"

She shrugged again, "The core idea isn't bad, but she's an impatient maiden. I told her she should make this a long term project, put a few years of effort into it, but she wants it to happen before the Reapers make their move."

Another wince crossed my face. That was a year, year and a half on the outside. "Shit... odds?"

"Less than five percent she pulls it off, and I'm probably being generous." Came the expected reply, "But I figure she's got a sixty or seventy percent chance of not getting killed or ruining their friendship, assuming she actually sticks to the plan she told me."

I blinked, "That high? I'd think it'd be low as shit, considering they'll both know she's not into the little bitch at all, that it's just a play for the ape."

"She still has that long fur fetish thing going, so that's in her favor." My tongue stuck out of my mouth as I fought down the disgust. I didn't understand the appeal in the slightest, it was just so... fucking _weird._ Shyeel snickered and continued, "Dealing with that is part of her little idea, see if the two can be something, but fuck if I know what will happen."

Which was rather damning evidence of her chances on its own, since Shyeel seemed to have as good a sense as I did when it came to romantic shit.

"I'm not drunk enough to hear the details." I shook my head, still trying get the idea of _liking_ the weird fur that Humans and Quarians had out of my goddess-damned brain. Nearly every lover Cie had ever had seemed to love the strands hanging from his head, and I knew he kept it as clean as he could, but... _ugh,_ it was so fucking... _beastial_. "Come one, might as well get up to the lounge before the ape and Shaaryak get there."

Shyeel shook her head, "I'm too tired to sit through whatever tension those two are going to create. Going to shower and pass out, you should do the same."

"No, I owe the ape too much to skip out on him on this shit." I sighed, entirely too tempted by the offer, "Think that strange Chambers girl is available if you want to get laid, not sure anyone else on board will be available."

She considered that as we both got up and started for the lift, but she eventually shook her head, "She's a little too out there for me. Just wake me up whenever you're done listening to Shaaryak."

"I'll think about it." I replied, though from the way she rolled her eyes she clearly knew that I'd already made up my goddess-damned mind. Shyeel wasn't my usual first choice of partner for a bit of fun, she wasn't all that creative in bed, but she was extremely enthusiastic and dedicated. Not the kind of woman you wanted for a day long session, but ideal for something hot and heavy to burn off some stress.

Still, just to make sure I knew what was waiting for me, she shoved me up against the wall of the elevator the moment the doors were shut.

"Bloody hell!" I blinked as she backed away, leaving me to stagger a bit to one side as we both turned and realized that we'd arrived on the crew deck. The ship's two engineers had evidently been waiting for the lift, and the male of the pair was openly gaping while the woman was rubbing at her forehead.

"Kenneth, put your tongue back in your mouth." She sighed, "And really, in the elevator?"

Shyeel rolled her eyes as she stepped out, while I merely snorted and adjusted my shirt to get it back on straight. "Fucking grow up, you don't think that Shepard and T'Soni haven't gotten up to shit in here?"

The man actually swayed a little on his feet, while his partner stopped resisting and simply buried her face in her hands. Snickering at their antics, I headed for the lounge on the port side while Shyeel made for the small crew quarters. I was pretty sure the crew was confused as fuck about our choice of abodes, they'd clearly expected us to take over the much nicer, and larger, cabin opposite the lounge. But being right next to the core was relaxing for we Asari, and I was pretty sure that the constant glow of the damn thing was even more important for everyone but Shaaryak and I.

The four of them didn't seem to care for darkness much, especially not in confined areas.

I shook my head as I reached my destination, pushing the worries into the deeps to be dealt with fucking never, and glanced around as the door slid aside. For all I'd planned on being the first one here, apparently I was next to bloody last. Shaaryak was reading from a tablet on one of the leather couches, a glass of some kind of wine held in her left hand, while the ape was mixing himself a drink at the small bar.

"Voya?" I asked, "And make me something strong."

"Asleep." Cieran reported, already grabbing another glass. "Shyeel and Illyan?"

"Showering before she passes out." I replied. "And is being checked over by the doc again."

Little Shaaryak sighed as she set her work aside, "She can have it inspected all she desires, it will not accelerate the healing process anymore than your constant harping at the doctors did on Illium."

I glowered at her, moving towards the chair farthest from her, "That's your plan? Drown us in bloody nostalgia?"

She opened her mouth, but Cieran's voice snapped out before she could retaliate, "Trena. Nynsi. I've been awake for less than an hour, I already had to deal with Miranda cornering me; at _least_ let me eat and drink something in peace before you two start trying to kill each other."

Shaaryak's upper eyes narrowed briefly, but she pointedly turned away while I simply collapsed into my chair and sulked like a bitchy little maiden. My mood brightened considerably when the ape shoved a tall glass into my hands, retrieving his own plus his evident breakfast before settling onto the couch in the middle, leaving him between us.

Which was kind of nostalgic, despite my complaints. Of course, now the power dynamics were entirely different, and the pair of young things were different people. Cieran wasn't a part-time adviser, part-time referee, whose main job had been using his brain because we all fucking knew he was useless in a real fight, himself included. And Shaaryak wasn't a rich brat of an heiress trying to dodge her duty by shacking up with a Human, then someone stuck trying to live up to her uncle's legacy anyway. In the end, she was turning out to be at least as bitter and jaded as her old lover had become.

It was bloody ironic that _now,_ of all the fucking times, I thought they'd be a decent match for each other... but that ship had sailed, burst into flames, gotten sucked into a maelstrom, been slammed into the ocean floor, and then flung up into a hurricane for good measure.

"All right." Cieran spoke up as he got settled, punctuating his words with a quick bite of bread. "Nynsi, you gave us the rough statistics of who and what you brought with, but going to need the full details about what happened."

The Highborn set her glass aside, folding her hands in her lap and keeping her body rigidly neutral. "The short version is that Hegemon Del'Thran thoroughly deceived everyone as to what his actual political opinions and leanings were. He is pushing a limited conservative agenda under the guise of traditionalism to make it palatable, and doing his best to side-line Balak and the liberal bloc."

I snorted, "Used you for your favors and then tossed you aside? Fucking asshole. No allies?"

"My _allies,"_ And it was definitely a sign of how bloody angry she was that she let me hear the stress on the word, "Were bought off with positions in the various Councils, territory taken from the conservative families, or simple wealth. I was effectively told that I had done my duty, and that it was time for me to go back to the bedroom and find a male to spread my legs for."

Cieran's upper lip twitched away from his teeth for a moment, "That explains a lot. How much damage did you do on your way out?"

The anger bled away into something viciously self-satisfied, her back and neck arching as she displayed her pleasure. "I would not be surprised if they are still trying to discover the extent of my operation."

From there, the actual details started to come out. In the initial wake of the civil war, things had seemed to be on the up and up, with the traditionalist-liberal alliance working together to bring order back to the chaotic Hegemony. Balak in particular had been useful, using his loyal SIU kill teams to hunt down everyone who'd worked on the Leviathan of Dis and executing them, while the dead Reaper itself had been flung into the system's sun via automated tugboats. While he'd been cleaning up the military, Shaaryak had been helping to introduce some badly needed reforms to clean up the horrifically corrupt midcaste and highborn Councils, ostensibly supported by the new Hegemon.

It had been about six months in that she realized that the same group of young traditionalists she relied on for support were being given increasingly powerful, and increasingly distant, positions, while her pushes for increased female liberties were increasingly met with variations of 'maybe later' by the old fools given the _real_ power on Khar'shan.

"Instead of reforming the system entirely, or at least decentralizing power to the lower councils," She shook her head, "Power is being even further consolidated in the Highborn's Councils on Khar'shan, as well as the Patriarch's Council, whom the Hegemon is now the ranking member of."

I snorted, "So you fought a giant civil war to change nothing but the bloody reflection."

"And you're going to find a thousand variations to tell me 'I told you so' for the remainder of my life," Shaaryak sighed, "As is Ul Massa. I am aware."

Cieran smiled slightly and put his empty plate aside, his own posture a more relaxed variation of Shaaryak's calm neutrality. "They changed the appearance of it, suppose that makes the new asshole smarter than the old."

"Maybe," I shrugged, "Still an asshole though, and an asshole who's probably going to want to kill us."

"Likely." Sharryak nodded before filling us in on just what she'd done on her way out.

The starter had been classic merchant-caste shit. Her family had owned a ludicrous percentage of the heavy industry, service industry, and even the bloody land on Khar'shan's tundra coated northern continent. She'd sold it _all_ piecemeal quietly for months before starting a fire-sale and offloading the rest immediately before her exit. But rather then sell it for what it was actually bloody worth, she'd sold it for next to fucking nothing to lowborn families, who both had no idea how to actually run that crap, and who would probably revolt if the government tried to take it. That by itself had probably thrown the home-world's economy into chaos, since she'd also fired all of the workers just to maximize the amount of confusion.

She'd followed that up by using a legal loophole in Hegemony law to pardon the crimes, real and fabricated, of _every_ Batarian slave in her extended family's employ, better than eighty fucking thousand of them, and then gave each one a plot of land for themselves. All of the alien slaves had been hauled along in the ships she'd brought with, freeing them from their shit lives and leaving them entirely indebted them to her.

But the big shit she'd saved for the end.

"The Shaaryak family is, effectively, dead." She informed us, "I summoned a full meeting of the House at the estate, thanked them all for their service, and then had my people kill everyone above the age of accountability who I had not already selected to leave with us."

Cieran blinked rapidly, while I sighed and shook my head, "Holy shit...how many?"

"Forty three members were killed, while seven were chosen to join me, all women." Her right shoulder rolled, "We then burned the estate to the ground on our way out to ensure that the message was properly taken. Given its historical value, my old _allies_ will entirely understand my displeasure at their choice of allegiance."

"Nynsi..." The ape shook his head, for once looking honestly lost as to what he should say.

"They were blood," She replied, her voice quieting, "But they were not family. I regret the necessity of the act, but they had only their own acquiescence to a failed state to blame. I drained all of their accounts as we left Khar'shan, even those few distant relations who remain alive will be effectively bankrupt. That money went to House Balak and a few select Admirals as insurance that the fleet's response in pursuing us would be... less than enthusiastic."

I frowned, "The Hegemon won't miss that shit, he'll go after that asshole."

Shaaryak shrugged again, "Del'thran may hold political power, but words on data files and traditions are meaningless if not properly backed by strength, and his popularity in the warrior caste is plummeting. Ka'hairal was already losing patience with the administration, and quietly rallying his base, I merely... accelerated matters."

Meaning a second civil war was probably already underway, or was about to be. Though given how fucked up the Batarians probably still were from their last one, I doubted round two would last very long. Especially since Balak, racist asshole he might have been, was a _competent_ racist asshole who controlled one of the most vicious special forces organizations in the galaxy. Del'thran would be lucky to survive the month, as would most of his supporters, even if they could rally any part of the warrior caste to back them.

"They're still going to want to kill you, aren't they?" Cieran asked, "Just to make the point of treason clear, regardless of who wins the next fight."

"Likely." She replied, "I also publicly rejected his marriage proposal, and he took it rather poorly."

More blinking from the ape, "Who did?"

Shaaryak smiled bemusedly, "Both of them."

I couldn't help but snort, "How many did you get in total?"

"I stopped counting after the twentieth and told my assistant to reply in the negative to any that we received." Another little shrug, "As I said on Omega, we had best be prepared for SIU actions in the near future. Even if they are merely formalities, reminders that they remember what I did, I would rather we not lose anyone to them."

Cieran grunted, "Ayle will be on alert, and we have most traffic locked down on Novgorod right now. We'll take additional precautions as things get settled there."

A slight nod came from the woman, whose expression and posture once more became a blank wall. "That is more or less what happened. I have compiled most of the details in various reports that I can send later, but they are fairly irrelevant and consist mostly of the financial details. What matters more, I believe, is what happens now."

I leaned back in my seat, throwing back the last bits of my drink before setting the cup aside. "You mean what the fuck happens to you, since you don't have a branch to run anymore."

"And to my people." She replied. "I am assuming that the civilians and former slaves will be established on Novgorod as colonists, but what of the ground and naval assets?"

"Ships are Joa's," Cieran shook his head, fur shifting about as he did, "The ground troops are probably going to be divided between a local garrison and more people to throw at Redcliffe. The latter will be under Idas' authority, she's running that cluster-fuck."

Shaaryak nodded, "And myself?"

The ape stared at her for a long few heartbeats, then seemed to sigh and deflate a little, shedding the aura of authority he'd been holding onto. "Honestly, I have no bloody idea Nynsi. Having you command the garrison at Novgorod is a waste of your skills, but Ven's doing a good enough job that I can't justify you taking over the admin team either. We can't risk putting anyone important on Illium for Sederis to take hostage when she realizes that Aria neutralized us, so that's out too."

"I see." She pursed her lips, "I suppose I could take the garrison, perhaps supervise the economic setup as well?"

I sighed and cut in, "That's where he's sending Ven, and bringing in a bunch of colonial types from New Canton to advise since we're starting from shit. We're going to be low on everything until we can pull shit off of... huh, that's a fucking idea."

They both blinked at me, six eyes opening and closing before Cie spoke, "What is?"

My chin jerked in her direction, "We need allies, contracts, resources, shit we won't have access to once Jona cuts us off. Make her our official ambassador or envoy or whatever you want to fucking call it. She's prissy and official enough to do it."

Cieran cocked his head to the left as he considered that. "That would free up Ayle, and you do have a lot of experience in politicking."

Her upper eyes narrowed as she mulled on the idea as well, "Who would I be liaising with?"

"Nagato, New Canton, Pskov, Black Spire, Ghet's Retreat, Carastes, Anhur..." He shrugged, "Anywhere you think we might be able to get money for setting up an outpost, a garrison, getting materials cheap via trade deals, or whatever kind of alliance that Ayle wants to start building towards."

Shaaryak continued to consider the idea, then nodded slightly. "I will take such a position, if ul Massa agrees, but with conditions. If you refuse them, I will understand, but will resign my position and return home to Illium as a private citizen once more. I still have sufficient personal investments to live a proper life even though I would no longer own Khar'shan Minor."

I felt my lips twist a little, "You know, he _is_ the fucking Director, and you-"

"Scales." Cie cut me off, his voice mild. "Not now. What do you want Nynsi?"

"Any role as an envoy and diplomat will require an extensive staff." She began, "I would like to pick them myself, without extensive oversight. If I think an ambassador is warranted at a location, I would like to propose a candidate, though you may veto them as Director."

Cieran nodded slightly, "You know I'm not big into oversight, so I'm assuming this is meant for Ayle when she takes over. I'll agree in either case, don't see the point in micromanaging, and the latter is fine as well. I, or Ayle, will still have final say before any paperwork is signed with outsiders. Next?"

"I would like to retain my rank in the militant branch." Shaaryak offered, "And be given command of the Novgorod garrison. Given that I will be occupied elsewhere, I will delegate that assignment to Chen, who I would also like to see promoted."

That made me frown, "What the fuck you want that shit for?"

"Primarily?" Her head shook, "I will likely need at least one light regiment's worth of troops if we intend to start leaving small contract outposts through the Traverse, and having additional assets to call upon if issues develop would be important. A full brigade would be preferable, and for that I will need to retain command authority."

Pale fingers tapped at his glass, but this time Cie shook his head. "I'll compromise. Chen will be promoted to Exec-Com and given command of the garrison. You'll get bumped back up to Exec-Captain, and given one of the two light brigades you brought with. Joa is our current authority away from our places of interest in the Traverse, so you'll be subordinate to her in military affairs."

It was her turn to need a little while to think about it, but she eventually sighed and inclined her head. "Will that be binding?"

"No." Cieran shook his head, "Well, yes, until we've completed our shift and until any negotiations you do pay off. After that we're probably going to have do another heavy re-organization at the top, but that will apply to everyone, not just you."

Shaaryak pursed her lips, but nodded with her head dipped a bit to the left, displaying her acquiescence. "In that case, one final condition. I will accompany you for whatever combat missions you have remaining when it comes to these Collectors and take up my new position after."

He cocked his head, "Why."

"A Lancer team should have six individuals, should it not?" She crossed her arms high on her chest, "You are short-handed even with myself included."

"Yeah," I snorted, "That's a nice fucking excuse, but _why?"_

More silence, then, "It... has been a very long time, since I have been with friends. I would prefer to remain and assist as best I can... and in either case, I am already with, it would be a pointless waste for me to remain on the ship for this investigation."

Cieran pursed his lips at that, wordlessly accepting the goddess-damned point. "You'll come with for this one, if it goes well we can keep going with it."

She nodded, "Then we are in accord?"

"Yes." He waved a hand slightly, "You can draw up whatever paperwork you think is required when you have the time. We'll be arriving at Peregrine sometime tonight, but Miranda made it clear we aren't getting off, or spending much time there at all. Then it's a two day sprint to our dead Reaper, with next to no information about what's waiting for us."

Black eyes blinked in sequence, but I spoke up before she could say shit, "The old fish's team going to get there ahead of us?"

"By a few hours, so we might get intel right when we show up." He rolled a shoulder in a shrug, "So we'll be rolling with the waves and improvising as best we can. Our goal are whatever ships are located in the thing's hangar and whatever Cerberus may have left behind."

Shaaryak nodded, "Expected opposition?"

"Unknown." He grunted, "Indoctrinated or husks at a minimum, maybe Geth, worst-case scenario has Collectors or a Cerberus rescue team showing up to investigate as well. How's your Khellish sign?"

"It's... non-existent." She admitted after a moment.

Cieran shrugged, "Trena's is shit, so don't feel bad. When Voya and Shyeel wake up we'll all head down to the cargo bay and do a gear inspection, and run you two through most of the hand signals that we use. Until then I want to take more time to try and relax, so you can stay or go."

"I'm out," I replied, already rising, "Shyeel's lonely."

Shaaryak sighed, "So... _good_ to see that you haven't changed at all. I may have made a mistake in my third request."

"Good to see you're still a stuck up fucking bitch too." I growled.

The ape just closed his eyes and seemed to sigh, looking for all the galaxy like he wondering which deity he had pissed the fuck off to be saddled with the two of us once again.

* * *

 **Cerberus: The Dangerous Dog is actually our Stalwart Defender!?**

 _Here in the Alliance, the name of Cerberus brings up mixed emotions. On one hand, they portray themselves as the righteous guardians of our species against hostile aliens in a dangerous galaxy that requires hard action; one the other, they are all too frequently exposed as ruthless racists with few redeeming values within their souls._

 _But for all their faults, and they are admittedly many, it is Cerberus more than any other group who lay down their lives in the defense of mother Terra. Not even the vaunted marines of the Alliance go forth as often as the members of Cerberus to combat those who would prey upon Humanity... only the shadowy heroes of the Corsairs put their lives on the line for the convictions as often._

 _It is past time that the men and women of Cerberus are treated as the patriots that they truly are, that Cerberus be brought into the Alliance as a welcome asset rather than wasted as an easily corrupted 'terrorist' organization. Let them be given oversight, and their unfortunate tendencies curbed, so that every man and woman can know that they truly sleep safe in a galaxy growing all the more dangerous._

* * *

 ** _Next up is:_** _ **Mechanical Accelerant II**_

 _This one came out a bit more interlude-esque than I intended, but there was still a lot of Blades back-log to get through before we could really get started, and the next two chapters are going to be entirely on the Reaper corpse so thought it best to get it in here before things heated up. We'll be sticking with the one-pov per chapter format, i know you all liked the double sections but it's a bit too taxing for me and slows the pace down heavily._

 _Plot lines for this arc are about as you'd expect, the reaper corpse mission with cie, miranda, and -redacted-, before we head back to the terminus to see how the Geth-Quarian war is going. Should be a six chapter operation, followed up the usual four interludes. After that things are going to accelerate somewhat as we near the end of the fic. Operation V will probably have just four or so chapters, and there will likely be only one or two interludes before we go into the final operation... ugh, still about twenty, twenty-one chapters to go, but we're getting there._

 _In other news, please check out the forums here if you haven't already (Forum Search "Another Realm" here on FF), I've started posting old snippets and incomplete concepts for people to have fun with. I've also put up a spreadsheet on google docs where i'm compiling a dramatis personae across the entire series, as well as technical details about the SBC. The link is on the forums in general discussion._

 _ _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**__

 ** _Thanks, Kat_**

* * *

 ** _Story Recs_**

 _Start of operation shout-outs go to anything by LogicalPremise, Living An Indoctrinated Dream by Aberron, The Old Ways; Extra by Vo0D0o-DOL, The Corsair Saga I: The Steward by twentyitalians, Sometimes Grace by LMSharp, and Outlander by GreaterGoodIreland._


	34. Operation: Mechanical Accelerant II

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Mechanical Accelerant**

* * *

 _ **Cerberus Memo**_

 _Illusive Man,_

 _We have completed the sterilization of site seven, a tactical nuclear device was utilized to ensure no trace of our operation remained. While I am not a scientist, you requested a brief summary of the data taken, and I allowed the more analytically minded members of my team examine the raw information to provide the following summary: We have confirmation that Reaper indoctrination is both faster and slower than initial results presented depending upon whether the signal is emitting from inert or powered devices. Further, it evidently moves through certain 'stages'._

 _Stage One is little more than a weakening of the individual, to make them more susceptible to outside influence. The danger of this is that it is difficult to notice and may be simply taken as the person in question becoming more adaptable. Potential dual-purpose: achieving a uniformity of a group, minimizing risk of unexpected action._

 _Stage Two is reached more slowly, requiring a forty to sixty hours of constant exposure. Upon completion, target can be considered 'Indoctrinated' and begins to take actions that they believe will serve the Reapers purpose. Stage three took two to three times longer to reach, and seems to render Humans into little more than mindless drones attempting to reach the nearest Reaper artifact._

 _Data after this point becomes fragmentary as test containment measures proved to be non-viable, and the research staff became affected. There was no comparisons with Leviathan-Indoctrination, as such tests were not scheduled for another month._

 _Expect to return to Earth within three standard days._

 _Kai Leng_

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _(Cieran Kean)_

 **Date:** 12-03-2187

 **Location:** Approaching Mnemosyne, Thorn System, Attican Traverse

It was weird having both Nynsi and Trena present, despite the nostalgic familiarity of going into battle with my oldest companions.

I think it was the coats, most of all, and the coloration. In the past we had always gone with all-black, partially because it was intimidating, mostly because it made identifying us harder once we covered up the various markers, where the modern navy and silver made the passing time all the more obvious. With the coats, it was more a reminder that neither of them was Illyan. Nynsi's didn't have a proper Lancer logo on it at all, bearing only the simple corporate logo on her left shoulder, while Trena had replaced her old squad's marker with the symbol she'd picked out for her Nightblade program; a pair of silver rapiers piercing a black heart.

Of course, the situation going to the deeps right off the start was far more typical.

"The Broker ship is definitely destroyed." Miranda reported as she listened to what Kelly and Joker were passing her from the CIC. "There are still three Republic storm cruisers engaging five Geth vessels near the outer moons, it remains a roughly even duel. We will be making a high speed pass to board the Reaper while they are occupied."

I grunted, flexing my hands a bit to loosen them. "We're going to have to make this a fast run, I'd rather not be on it if they decide it would be better crushed in the low atmosphere."

The Cerberus operative shook her head as she pulled a black helmet over her patrician features. We had already worked out a rough division of command, with her agreeing to obey my orders once we were on the Reaper, while she remained the master of her ship. "Mister Moreau will deal with any survivors from the engagement, this ship is more than equipped to do so."

"Right." I tipped my head to accept the minor point, "Any ID's on the cruisers?"

"None." Her voice turned somewhat surly, "Not that we really need such things to know who sent them."

"Yeah." I grimaced, shifting a little, "We're going to have to be on alert for control orbs or anything of the sort, plus the usual commando shit that the Republicans love. If the rigged up sensor Aria gave me actually works, I might drop if anything tries to get into my head."

"If you do, we will leave immediately." Miranda replied firmly, "I would prefer my mind to remain my own, we would find another method of getting through the relay."

While I expected the answer, it was still good to hear. I knew that my friends would try and drag me out the moment anything like that happened to me, the last thing they would need in that circumstance was to also have to deal with a bitchy operative who didn't want to leave without accomplishing the objective.

She continued before I could speak up, "Regarding your earlier point, I have a two hour clock that will start the moment we board. That seems to be the maximum safe period around inert Reaper artifacts before the effects take root. We _must_ be back on the Normandy before that time limit expires."

"If we last that long." Nynsi spoke through her helmet, her voice somber. "Cieran may be affected more quickly... and that is artifacts, not a full Reaper."

Voya shifted a little, clearly not comfortable, but raised her own voice all the same. "If he is, we'll escort him back and Frankenstein here can run the show."

Miranda twitched visibly, even with the armor, "Quite, to both. Call it sixty to ninety minutes at a maximum before we have to depart and leave EDI and EVA to continue on their own."

Snorting, and more than a little amused at her reaction every time someone else used the nickname, I shook my head, "Right, let's stop worrying about what will probably happen and just get this shit done with."

"Agreed." Came the Operative's reply, "EDI, EVA, are you prepared?"

"Yes ma'am." The two AI platforms responded in unison, already in their own concealing armor to hide just what they were. Both were armed with a Harrier and a Phalanx, same as Miranda, though EVA carried Taylor's old missile launcher on her back. Ideally we wouldn't need the thing, but I was pretty sure we all expected to not only need it, but to run out of missiles at the worst possible time.

Which was why EDI was carrying a few extras on her back.

Turning slightly, I glanced over everyone and nodded. "Trena, you're going to be on point with me, Nynsi? You'll be right behind us to provide support. Shyeel, Voya, go with your usual. Miranda, I'd like to keep you and the twins in back as a rear-guard until we know what we're up against, last thing we want is to be flanked."

There was a series of nods at that, pistols and rifles snapping into hands as the collision alarm blared through the cargo bay. We had evidently cut it rather close with our little chat, and just barely got formed up near the ramp when it hissed and began to lower. Joker, with his usual cocky skill, gave us a high-speed over pass of the dead Reaper that made my fingers clench slightly. Not that I was nervous per say, but the sight of the boiling storm all around us, plus the fairly ominous shape half-submerged in the clouds, did quite a bit to remove my good humor.

We came in at a hard bank, only the ship's mass effect fields preventing us from being hurled to our deaths, settling in a hover just above a gaping hole in the outer hull. Someone had gone through some effort to turn the interior into some kind of landing zone, complete with refueling equipment and assorted supplies. Five Cerberus shuttles were parked in neat rows inside, along with a Batarian pinnace that had probably been detached from the Broker ship before it had gotten blown apart.

Making the short jump once we were low enough, I exhaled and carefully swept my eyes around the hangar. No one came out to greet us, shoot at us, or try and tear our faces off, which was mostly good. Behind and above, there was a heavy roar as the _Normandy_ 's engines throttled back up, the ship off to play with the remaining opposition.

"Leads with me, we'll check the exit." I started forwards at a slow, shuffle footed walk that kept my aim steady as I swept my custom rifle from left to right. "Miranda, check the pinnace. Voya, the shuttles."

We swept forwards and spread out, Trena and Nynsi moving with me towards the only visible way out of the broad space. While the pair of them covered me, I checked both corners, finding a hallway running in both directions. To the right the hull had buckled, entirely blocking the way, while the left stretched out for about fifty meters before ending, with an opening on the far right side probably leading to another passage.

"No bodies, no sign of combat." I muttered, glancing down at the floor. "Prefab decking, Cerberus didn't throw this crap up in two hour windows."

Scales groaned, "There's going to be husks."

"Yeah." I sighed. "Miranda, Voya, anything?"

 _"Shuttles are wrecked."_ The latter replied, her tones flat. " _Something tore out all the controls and shredded the computer systems."_

" _Same."_ Miranda added, " _EDI is trying to link to what's left, see if there is a comm network active."_

"Check everything to be sure, then catch up, we won't be far." I motioned for the others to follow, carefully moving into the hallway proper... and regretted it almost at once. The oily black surface of the walls seemed to bear down on me, the relative familiarity of the hangar's equipment having evidently blunted the effects, and I felt... _something_ twinge in the back of my head, the floor seeming to cant sideways before snapping back to reality when I blinked.

"You all right ape?" Trena's question made me realize I'd stopped moving after taking just a few paltry steps, and I forced myself to shake my head and resume moving.

"Yeah, something... like vertigo for a second." I replied, "Don't think the shit in my head likes this place."

There was a telling pause before she spoke again, "You need to fort up in the hangar till that brittle asshole can pick you up?"

"No." I frowned a little, speeding up as I realized something else. "Effect is already gone, place as creepy as fuck but it's not closing in anymore."

Nynsi hissed between her teeth as she followed on my left. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, you don't have to-" I broke off my words as I reached the next turn, jerking my head back as something glowing and blue screamed through the doorway to smack into the wall. Cursing, I slammed my shoulders into the bulkhead on this side, flicked my rifle to full charge, then snapped around and brought the weapon up.

The Scion was silhouetted nicely by wide set of lights in the room, and by the eezo laced blood already dripping from numerous gaping wounds, it wasn't anything close to fresh. It took a shambling step forwards, its barrel swaying as though it couldn't aim properly, and then a flash-forged spike slammed into it center-mass. The round evidently shattered its spine, because its upper half abruptly flopped sideways, dragging it off balance and down to the ground.

I put two more half-charged shots into what passed for its skull and weapon, just to be sure, then motioned for Trena to take point.

She did so, her heavy pistol in her left hand, her glowing ancestral sword in her right. The blade was kept up and near her shoulder while her gun swept the room, "Count a dozen dead husks in here, plus another one of those gunnery fucks. Bunch of science shit all shot up, standard accelerator fire it looks like."

"Exits?" I asked.

Trena shifted her head around, then rolled a shoulder. "Just one, this side of the room in the far corner."

"Nynsi, check it, Trena, back her. We'll wait here for the others." The two nodded, moving in that direction while I slowly entered the area proper. It had evidently been some kind of barracks or sleeping quarters, and a quick inspection of the dead Husks revealed what was left of Cerberus uniforms; a few even still had their dog tags around their withered necks. Collapsing my rifle, I swapped it for my hand cannon and proceeded to make sure none of them would be getting up like the zombies they were.

Sure enough, one of them _was_ playing possum and tried to grab my ankle, only to get an armored boot and then a bullet to its skull for its trouble.

"This was probably most of the Cerberus team, but no sign of any other bodies." I muttered, "Someone tore through here in a hurry, didn't even stop to check the bodies."

"The Broker team, I assume." Nynsi provided, one of her own heavy pistols pointed unerringly down the next hallway. "Given the lack of biotic and plasma damage."

"Probably." I agreed, "Next hallway clear?"

"Yes." She reported, "No signs of combat, but it curves away to the right so I have a very limited view."

I grunted irritably, though that explained why she had a her short-barreled weapon ready instead of her scoped pistol. Thankfully we didn't have to wait much longer, the other five joining us in short order. A quick report from EDI confirmed that she wasn't picking up any radio signals inside the Reaper, which didn't say much for Aethyta's team's survival, but it did give us some hope that the Matriarch's puppets hadn't gotten multiple teams on board yet.

Assuming that whatever shit was in the hulk simply wasn't blocking any signals.

Reforming, we got moving down the next hallway, and almost immediately began to run into problems. Not the opposition kind so much as the environmental kind; we were trying to walk through a ship that had obviously never been designed to hold a crew, and it had been shot to shit on top of that. We had to frequently shift from walking to crawling, and twice found ourselves striding along the outer hull before getting back into the interior.

It was after that second sojourn into the winds and clouds that we found the first evidence of our allies, a dead Asari, face down in gray armor surrounded by purple blood.

"Warp sword." EVA reported as she checked the body, the rest of us covering her. "Pierced her torso entirely, the initial impact was from behind. She was run down while fleeing."

"Being pursued." Miranda exhaled, "If they knew their ship was gone, the Broker team would have been making for the Reaper's internal hangar, just as we are, in the hopes of a replacement if not for the mission's sake."

"Agreed." I gritted my teeth. I'd been fine so long as we were inside, but there was something about transitioning between the interior and exterior that was making my stomach churn and head throb. Like my damaged brain could handle the Reaper but _only_ when that was the only thing it had to worry about. Any extra stimulus started to overload it... and that wasn't shit we needed out in front. "We're going to have to push the pace. Shyeel, swap with me on point."

That set a round of subtle glances in motion, but she nodded and moved up beside Trena, the pair taking the front while Nynsi, Voya, and I formed into a triangle behind them, with Miranda and the AI a few meters behind us in turn.

"Are you all right?" Voya asked quietly, my HUD flickering to tell me she'd cut us into a private channel. "It's only been twenty minutes."

"Keep seeing the walls shift." I replied, "Then snap back to reality. It's... unsettling. What are you seeing?"

Her helmet shifted around slightly as we moved back into a more open area, a straight run that let us all accelerate slightly. "It's oppressive. Like I'm being watched by something right over my shoulder that I can't see."

"That's probably actually happening." I exhaled.

"Cieran." She growled back, "Not. Helping."

"Misery loves company." I retaliated.

" _Bosh'tet._ " The mutter made me smile slightly, but the forced banter faded quickly as the oppressive surroundings once more began to get to us. Still, despite that, my position farther back let me observe the others more than I had been able to do so from my place up front.

Everyone but Nynsi and the AI were moving with hunched shoulders, our torsos leaning forwards slightly, like we were walking into a stiff wind. Nynsi's reaction was more classically Batarian, her posture perfect and utterly controlled in such a way that told me she was extending every ounce of her attention to not show her emotion. Beside me, Voya kept twitching her head left to right, checking corners that weren't there, likely flicking her eyes to her rear cameras and back as she searched for who was watching her.

A glance at my left hand, then at Shyeel, showed that we both had twitching fingers, something I thought Trena was avoiding only by dint of keeping a hand on the hilt of her sword at all times. Directly behind Voya and I was Miranda, who was walking far closer to the pair of us than she should have been as the rear guard, and I doubted she was even aware that she'd gone from a dozen meters back to being almost directly behind us over the last ten minutes.

That made sure we were all together when we found the next set of bodies, both Asari, one in the gray armor, another in a blue-green combination that EVA identified as the colors of Clan Veccina, a known T'Ravt ally. Both had been shot up fairly heavily, and the damage in the little area around told the story on its own without either machine having to analyze it for us. The Broker team, knowing they were pursued, had elected to setup a temporary defense here, but hadn't managed to make it stick.

There'd been a brief though furious firefight with a single casualty on either side, then the Broker team had gone on the run once more. Considering the level of firepower and competence that I expected from Aethyta's people, _especially_ a team sent to investigate a goddess-damned Reaper corpse, that didn't bode well in the slightest. Worse, the position they'd picked wasn't all that bad either, with the direction we'd just come from funneling into a narrow choke-point

Grimacing as I stared at the biotic damage around, and again as the clock hit forty minutes, I shifted over towards Miranda."I'm starting to think we made a mistake coming here."

Miranda exhaled audibly, "I am beginning to agree with you."

I opened my mouth to reply, then saw Trena freeze and hold a hand up from her place near the next 'hallway'. We all stilled, and after a few moments I could hear the reason for the pause; distant cracks and mutters of gunfire. Oaths in several languages tumbled from out mouths as we all got moving again, this time hauling ass as best we could through the misshapen interior.

More signs of battle quickly began to accumulate as we moved, showing that the retreat had been a fighting one. Scorch marks from biotics and explosions were joined with purple blood splatters, then yet another body, thankfully another commando rather than a Broker agent. Twenty meters later was Veccina corpse number three, very close to number four. That changed my thought process somewhat, especially as we found no further dead Broker agents. The goal at the choke-point had evidently not been to hold the position, but to initiate contact in advance of a running fight.

And I happened to know an acquaintance of Aethyta's who preferred such things.

We arrived in the Reaper's internal hangar just in time to see Spectre Tela Vasir flash into existence behind an enemy commando, a short-barreled shotgun roaring and turning the rival Asari's helmet and skull into bloody confetti.

"About fucking time!" Vasir shouted before vanishing into another flash-step, the flare of her arrival showing that she'd just hurled herself back behind cover behind some kind of wrecked shuttle. "Watch your right!"

Trena and Shyeel snapped into blurs of their own, while Nynsi threw herself back and blocked the rest of us, just as a pair of warpfire spears screamed through the space just before the entrance. Voya, not needing any commands, rippled as she activated her cloaking system, becoming little more than a blur against the decking as she slid beneath the suppressing fire that started up in the wake of the biotic strikes.

"At least eight targets, all Asari, all on our right." Nynsi reported simply, as if we were discussing the weather. "Mixed weaponry, taking cover behind some kind of wreckage, too far for nullifiers."

I let out an irritable hiss between my teeth, the discomfort of the Reaper being shoved aside. "Voya, get close enough to hit them with one. EVA! Get up here."

The mech darted forwards on command, Nynsi quickly shifting to let it take her place. Taking a single glance around the corner, the AI quickly unlimbered the heavy missile launcher from her back and primed it. Disdainful of the incoming fire, fire that became immediately accurate as she took a step out, EVA let loose with a rocket, ducking back as it detonated.

"A barrier absorbed the impact." She reported, sounding almost annoyed. "Nullification?"

" _Five seconds."_ Voya hummed in reply.

Rather than speak, EVA simply finished cycling a new missile into the chamber, then stepped back out just as the fifth second past. This time I could hear someone start screaming in agony in the wake of the explosion, telling everyone that Voya had accomplished her mission. Kicking off my back foot, I surged forwards, Nynsi and Miranda quickly moving to follow as EVA adroitly stepped out of the way.

The interior of the hangar was... well, a scrapyard. It was absolutely titanic, extending a good two hundred meters in either direction, and it was filled with dozens of ships. I didn't have the time to seriously look at any of them, as the burning wreckage ahead drew the entirety of my attention.

Voya was on the right, had just slit the throat of a prone Asari, but threw herself into cover as two of the woman's friends objected to her treatment of the wounded. At least two more commandos were regaining their wits from the explosion, shaking their helmets and staggering back into cover even as we approached. Farther to the left was the kind of psychedelic display of biotics you could only get from skilled several Asari attempting to murder one another.

Vasir, Trena, and Shyeel were engaged with an equal number of the Matriarch's agents in a running battle moving away from us. Flashes of light accompanied flash-steps, metal screamed as Trena bisected a shuttle with one of her laser-like lances, eezo-laced blades flared a brilliant blue as they came into contact with one another, and singularities blossomed to life before suddenly detonating as both groups tried to catch the other in the effects.

Ignoring _that_ chaos, I brought my left hand up, gesturing sharply and twisting my fingers. My tech launcher obliged the command, incinerates locking onto both targets and lashing out, while my pistol rose in my other hand, catching one of Voya's pursuers in the shoulder. It didn't break her barriers, but Nynsi's follow-up shots did. She fired three shots in quick succession, each striking the woman directly in her helmet, with the third shattering shields and armor alike to put her down.

Miranda joined the engagement at about the same time as my incinerates detonated above the two Asari now taking cover once more. The blasts didn't seem to do much beyond scorch their armor, but it did startle them enough for her to keep them both pinned with tight bursts from her rifle.

"Take them." I spat, long legs stretching as I accelerated, staying close to the right side as the remaining target by Voya abruptly realized her position. Ceasing her charge to flank my lover's position, she skidded to a stop and hurled a grenade in my direction as she did, trying to reverse her course while I had to throw myself to the left and roll behind a fallen piece of the roof as the small bomb went off.

Using my momentum to get me into a crouch,I got my head back up in time to see the Asari start to glow a few milliseconds before Voya tossed another nullifier, the biotic light snapping out as it went off. It didn't take the commandos long to make their decision from that point; with only three of them left, with Voya secure on their left, and the rest of us moving up quickly... they chose discretion as the better part of valor.

Flash-bangs didn't affect us much, but the heavy smoke bombs they tossed at their own feet did a much better job of obscuring their retreat. Nynsi vaulted the piece of cover I was behind, quickly moving up beside Voya, the pair waiting for the smoke to disperse before firing at the fleeing figures. Between the sniper rifle and scoped pistol they brought down one with their usual ridiculous accuracy, but the other pair broke line of sight in the debris field and made clean their escape.

The fighting on the other flank didn't last much longer, though that was because our companions succeeded in killing their foes entirely. Leaving Nynsi and Voya on watch, and having the twin AI check the corpses for intel, Miranda and I doubled back to meet up with the others near the entrance.

"Sitrep." Vasir demanded as we all got together, returning the shotgun she'd been wielding to her hip. "When did you get here?"

I glanced at the timer on my HUD, "Two escaped, rest are dead. Thirty-five minutes ago. Where's your team?"

"Prothean ship, probably docked here to research shit during their fall." A thumb jerked towards a bronze collared hulk behind us. "I was going to try and lead the rest away while they forted up, so thanks for the assist."

Miranda hummed, "Good. Tell them the sooner they locate the IFF equipment, the sooner we can be off of this hulk. How long have you been aboard?"

"Eighty-seven minutes." And it was the edge to those words that told me that Vasir was growing increasingly aware of how long she'd been here. "Which of you can help the idiot techs find the IFF faster?"

I exchanged a look with Miranda through her visors, and she twitched her helmet in a nod. "EDI, EVA, get on board and assist. Spectre, how many more hostiles can we expect?"

"Unknown."

I fought the urge to groan, "Typical. We'll get setup as best we can, but this place is a goddess-damned debris field. Not exactly defensible."

Vasir's fingers drummed on her shotgun. "You got a ship? Those hangar doors are already cracked, few good missiles might blow them open, then could use its guns to clear out any shit coming at us."

"Plus give us a quick exit option." I mused. "Miranda?"

She already had a hand at the side of her helmet, likely checking in with the _Normandy_. After perhaps two minutes, she nodded sharply, "They're coming around. The Geth ships are destroyed, as are two of the Republic vessels. The third rabbited to FTL, but may have detached shuttles into atmosphere."

I grunted, "Reinforcements to secure this thing, or a final effort to blow it apart. How long till they get here?"

"Ten minutes." That wasn't bad, the benefit of having an over-priced ship flown by a living legend I supposed. "In the meantime, we should set up defenses. Kean?"

"Vasir?" I prodded in turn, "You have any other escorts alive?"

"No." She growled, "It was just me and Anetha, we weren't expecting much beyond a couple husks, and figured you'd be bringing a heavy team to back us up in either case."

I grimaced, unable to really blame her. From what I knew, the old fish was still chronically short of combat agents, committing Vasir to this at all was a sign that she considered it serious. "Right, you mind acting as a flanker? We'll setup around this entrance and the ramp to the ship... can't really set traps, too open."

Vasir nodded, "Works. Give me five to check on the techs and motivate them, then I'll setup down by the engines. Keep T'Laria and that sniper somewhere near me so I've got support."

Nodding in turn, I gave Trena and Shyeel the appropriate orders, then glanced around to find the right spots for the rest of us. After a few moments of examination, I put Voya and Miranda together on top of some kind of shuttle that had a broken fin along its roof that made it an ideal fire-base for their long ranged weapons. Nynsi and I, meanwhile, shifted back towards the entrance, settling behind some wreckage where our pistols would do the most good against anyone coming the same way we had, while still giving me room to work with my mines and rifle.

"How are you doing?" Nynsi asked once we'd gotten settled, my attention on my weapons as I checked them for issues.

"Better now that we're in the hangar." I replied absently, "It's less... Reaper-ish, seems to help."

There was a scoffing sound, and Anad Krom replied, "You sure about that?"

I twitched.

Violently.

Nynsi caught me as I nearly fell into her, my gun having reflexively gone up to aim to my left, where I'd heard the dead fucker speaking. My rational brain caught up with the damaged portion a heartbeat later, helpfully reminding me that Illyan had broken his neck in advance of Aria incinerating the corpse.

"..Cieran!" Nynsi's voice had a quality of repletion to it, and was quickly followed by Voya demanding to know what the fuck was happening.

I sucked in a breath and heard my teeth rattle before I clenched them, "Well... shit. That's not good."

Whatever Nynsi or Voya or anyone else had to say in reply was lost in a woman speaking English directly into my right ear, her accent exotic but not one I could remember hearing before. "Well of course, balding by twenty five isn't a good look for anyone... and _look_ at his."

Ghostly hands ran through my hair, making me shudder as nausea rose up along with the understanding. Nikita had started to babble about her past, her memories of her time in the Matriarch's care when she'd been exposed to Reaper shit by Cerberus... it seemed like my mind was doing the same thing under similar exposure.

"Oh come _on_ ," Krom groaned, his accent deepening, becoming more Russian, less brutal as my more modern memories were overtaken by the past. "Seriously MacKinnon, she's treating you like a pet!"

My own mouth moved despite no input telling it do so, English with traces of a Scottish accent tumbling out, "I'm not about ta bitch when an exotic woman runs her hands through my hair."

A flash of blue threw me back into Nynsi again, and I managed to focus my eyes in time to see Trena in front of me. She gave me absolutely no warning before grabbing me by the throat, and then I felt her brain slam into mine with all the subtlety of a hurricane. Her reaction to the meld was instant; she nearly flung herself away from me in panic and I could _feel_ the sudden rush of agony as she abruptly realized why Illyan hadn't been able to stay with me, why Ghai had very firm limits about how long she melded with me.

" _Ape!_ " The words were a vocal hiss and a booming shout that reverberated between my ears, " _Snap out of it!"_

She let go with the last word, leaving me coughing and her staggering a few steps backwards.

"Did it work?" Nynsi asked.

"Yeah." I managed before anyone else could speak, shaking my head violently. "For now, anyway. Fuck that was unpleasant. What did you do?"

"Screamed in your ocean." Trena groaned in reply, a hand rising to her helmet before she stopped herself from removing. "Athame's ass ape, you were talking to shit that wasn't there. Think it's past fucking time we left."

"I know." I replied, "And obviously."

" _Cieran."_ Voya growled across the comms, " _Get on the Prothean ship, it might-"_

She didn't get to finish the sentence, because it was then that the Matriarch's people returned, and we discovered several things in rapid succession. First, they'd brought friends, including our worst nightmare, its scream making everyone cringe backwards in instinctive, rational fear. Second, the sensor we'd been given from Aria proved that her scientists weren't full of crap, because my HUD lit up with Levi-indoctrination warnings.

And thirdly, Trena's metaphysical slap to my face turned out to be pointless, because there was a quiet hiss as the Leviathan scanner did its job, stabbing the back of my neck with a hypo and flooding my veins with knock-out drugs to try and prevent my brain from ending up even more scrambled than it already was... and leaving my friends to fight the thing without me.

Fucking. Typical.

* * *

 _ **Elder Archives: Message from Research Zone Two to Omega**_

 _Aria,_

 _Our work continues to progress well, with a new scanner already showing promise in terms of ranged detection of active Levi signals. Testing upon subjects eight, eighteen, and nineteen continue to be invaluable. The more destructive examination of Nine's brain was additionally so, and I thank the goddess that the oaf of a maiden did not damage it when she killed him._

 _Based upon our limited ability to test and what data was recovered from Cerberus, I feel qualified to state that there is no single threshold or moment that can be used to divide the Levi-indoctrinated from those how are unaffected. Instead, there are simply degrees to which a sapient being has been taken, with the primary effect of this range being how long and how much effort, energy, or will (we are unsure) a Leviathan must expend in order to seize control of a person when they are in range of an orb or other transmitter._

 _While I must continue to state that this is merely a hypothesis, and that more in depth testing remains all but impossible, I am confident of my statement given the lessened damage to Eight compared to the Twins, and to these three compared to Nine. In remembrance of your prior orders, I will not again ask that Eleven or Sixteen be turned over to me for testing. I will, however, plead that you at least demand that they both submit to thorough scans once our new devices are prepared and able to analyze the overall exposure levels so that we have more data points to utilize._

 _Research Lead Juli T'Loak_

* * *

 _ **Next up is Mechanical Accelerant III**_

 _And here's a bit of setup and foreshadowing, next chapter should be fun. Will probably be from Miranda's point of view, so we have a fresh set of eyes to deal with something we haven't seen since the mines. After that fun game, there won't be much rest for the wicked, given everything still occurring back in the Veil._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	35. Operation: Mechanical Accelerant III

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Mechanical Accelerant**

* * *

 **Cula Nightly News**

 _In other news, the situation regarding Illium and the so-called Eclipse Confederation remains fluid. While the Board of the Directors has once again refused a call to eject the Sederis family and seize their estates, they have given conditional approval for a Justicar to land on world in the pursuit of a confessed serial killer._

 _While this is being considered a concession and a possible sign that the Board is amiable to negotiation, an examination of the wording of the deal shows extreme constraints being placed upon the honored Justicar, confining her investigations to explicit area codes and not allowing her anywhere near assets owned by the Board or the Sederis family._

 _This is a clear violation of the Justicar's holy Code, and the Justicars have refused to comment upon whether or not they will consider any such restriction binding. It seems clear that, should a Justicar set foot upon the corporate world, that a political crisis may be sure to follow._

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 _(Miranda Lawson)_

 **Date:** 12-03-2187

 **Location:** Mnemosyne, Thorn System, Attican Traverse

* * *

The scream made every muscle in my body tighten, and my instincts began clamoring at me, telling me brain that there was a new apex predator around, that it was time to _run_. Pushing the urge aside was anything but easy, something I blamed upon the Reaper whose body we were inside of. Controlling myself, I hefted my rifle up and prepared my biotics as the situation developed.

On my right, I saw Kean abruptly sink down and collapse against the Batarian noblewoman, and I could hear both Chi and herself cursing as they realized that his fail-safe had knocked him out before he could be mentally taken. He hadn't even hit the floor before the enemy began to approach at speed from directly ahead; five commandos, at the very minimum, along with a glowing blue form that flashed from cover to cover too quickly to be seen.

"Snipers!" I snapped, taking command, finding myself surprisingly irritated that Cieran was down. The man was an ass but he was invaluable in a fight, especially one where our backs were literally against a wall. "Focus on the Asari! T'Laria, Vasir, track the banshee!"

They needed a moment, though whether that was because I was presuming to give them orders, or shock at the suddenness with which their commander had gone down, I wasn't sure. Either way they got into motion quickly enough, T'Laria helping Shaaryak get him entirely behind some scrap metal before darting left, moving to link up with Vasir.

Beside me, Chi hefted her Viper up, leveled it, and started firing with the steady rhythm of a professional choosing her shots. My own rifle joined hers a moment later as I cut loose with short bursts, aiming at the figures bounding through the mix of ships and scrapheaps. Rounds ricocheted visibly off of barriers, and then off of metal as the Asari took to cover. Flashes of biotic light came as they began to re-arrange the scrap metal around them, reveling in their natural power, creating bunkers and barricades out of nothing.

"EDI, EVA, get out here." I flinched as at least one opponent got herself into position to return fire, a bullet snapping past my head. "Joker! Time to arrival?"

" _Missiles in five minutes."_ The exasperating man replied promptly, _"So, you know, mind the walls_."

I was opening my mouth to reply when Chi abruptly snapped an arm around my neck and kicked her legs as hard as she could to throw us off of the shuttle. A curse was already forming on my mouth as we fell the two meters towards the floor, but was swallowed when my vision went white. The flare disintegrated most of the top of the shuttle, accelerated our fall into something excruciating as we struck the decking, and the sound of it was deafening even with my helmet.

I lay on the ground gasping, another scream echoing in the hangar in the wake of the blast, this one almost mocking.

Chi hissed, in fear or anger, I wasn't sure, her body already scrambling to get upright, and I followed her up as quickly as my stunned body would allow. We'd just gotten to our feet when another biotic detonation sounded, this one drawing my attention to the far left to see the after-flash of a singularity exploding. Two figures broke away from the blast zone, T'Laria's coat flaring around her as she darted in, sword blazing a neon blue. Her opponent was... about as tiny as she was, and looked very little like the images that Kean had shown me of the banshee they'd fought.

That creature had been tall, lanky, nude but for armor over critical areas, and its nervous system had glowed through its skin. _This_ one was covered entirely in some kind of blue-black armor, wielded something like a short-barreled Disciple in one hand, and was focused more on _dodging_ the slashes and thrusts than trying to overpower them. About the only things it seemed to have in common was the black orb over its heart, and the eyes that I could see glowing even from this distance.

Even as my brain took in the details, my arms snapped my rifle up, waited for it to turn its back to me as it twirled away from a heavy slash, and then opened fire. The Banshee staggered forwards as the impacts struck it, screamed again, then abruptly vanished as it... sensibly retreated.

"Fucking..!" T'Laria swore before she too broke off her pursuit, instead falling back to where Vasir was trading intermittent fire with a pair of commandos. "Where is it!?"

"Center right." I barked in reply, having seen the flash, before ducking as additional enemies got settled and opened fire on my exposed form. Grimacing as rounds struck my barriers, I lowered myself into a crouch and dove back into cover, not surprised to see that Chi had already reached it.

Dammit. I had to get my head into the game.

The next sixty seconds passed in a blur of intermittent gunfire and shouted orders and questions from both sides as we redressed our lines, ourselves and our enemies trying to get into the best position to take advantage of our skills and weapons. Shaaryak, Chi, and T'Voth all shifted right, both protecting Kean as well as establishing a base of hideously accurate fire that killed one Asari and forced the rest to try and stay out of their sight. The banshee attempted to move in that direction to deal with the situation, only for Vasir to nearly catch it.

Flashing beside it, she'd dropped a pair of nullification grenades before vanishing backwards, leaving the husked creature to reel from the effects. T'Laria and I had both hammered its armored body only for it to bolt back into cover before we could do anything besides send a few fragments of its armor flying.

"Dammit." I hissed as I saw vanish behind the broken engine block of a corvette sized vessel. "It's too cautious!"

"Bitch thinks she's got the time to wear us out." T'Laria growled as she dropped in beside me, her pistol barking twice before she ducked back. "That or there's more of the fucks on their way."

I felt my lips pull back from my teeth, "Probably bo-"

A flicker of blue light saw me slam a hand forwards, flaring my biotics into the strongest barrier I could manage a nanosecond before the flare struck it like a meteor. My protection crumpled instantly, pain exploding across my front, and flaring up from the back of my neck through the rest of my skull. For the second time in as many minutes my back struck the ground as I was flung off my feet, but this time I kept my wits about me.

Twisting with the impact, and shoving the pain aside as irrelevant, I rolled back up to my feet and began running to the left as best as I could, T'Laria doing the same. We'd barely gotten moving when yet _another_ flare screamed through the area we'd just cleared, missing us to strike the Prothean ship behind us, crumpling the hull slightly as it detonated.

My face still pulled back in a snarl, I saw the creature half-concealed behind some scrap metal, focused, and made a sharp gesture. Dark energy surged out of me, causing the pain in my neck and head to surge, put the pull ripped the banshee's cover aside, leaving it entirely in the open. Vasir and T'Laria wasted no time in jumping in, both flashing forwards to engage it.

The Spectre's shotgun roared, catching it across the shoulder, and the thing let out a hissing howl as it retaliated, bobbing aside with inhuman speed as its own weapon drove Vasir back, breaking her shields. Of course, that left T'Laria free to dive in at its other side, her pistol barking as her sword blazed. The banshee whirled away from a slash, but purple and gray liquid sprayed as the blade cut across an arm.

Hissing in pain as I drew upon my own reserves once more, I hurled a throw, trying to flip the scrap metal up and over the brawl to pin the creature in place.

It saw the heavy shard twirling over it, howled, and then flashed straight _upwards._ I had no idea what it did, but a few moments later the wall of metal was growing increasingly large as it came at me at high speed. I barely had time to dive and avoid being decapitated, hearing the thing crash to the ground somewhere behind me.

"Miss Lawson." I heard EVA, her synthesized voice slightly deeper than EDI's, report, "Are you well?"

"Yes." I groaned, taking stock of myself. The buckling of my barrier had been decidedly unpleasant, leaving me with a migraine from the backlash, though I felt that my energy reserves were sufficient to continue. Additionally, my armor was showing that most of my torso plating had been badly weakened by the flare, but it was still holding. "Support them against the banshee, set up on the left. EDI, go right, they'll need someone to move Kean."

"Yes ma'am." She replied, metallic feet pounding past me.

EDI spoke as I started to haul myself upright, "The team has located several pieces of equipment added to the Prothean controls that may be Reaper additions, possibly including IFF equipment. They have it in the aft cargo bay and are waiting to depart."

That was something, I got back up just as Vasir appeared, vaulting my piece of cover and dropping into a crouch beside me. Her armor was battered and scorched, but intact. "Oh, still alive, good."

"Sitrep." I demanded, glancing over the piece of cover to see that the firefight was still ongoing across our right flank, but I couldn't see T'Laria or the banshee.

"Little bitch took its right arm, got her left broken for the trouble." She replied, hefting her weapon up and firing a few desultory shots. "She's watching the flank, but we're both getting tired, and that thing just seemed annoyed to lose a limb."

I exhaled sharply through my nose, checking my timer. "One more minute... Chi, sitrep."

" _Another commando is dead, Shaaryak is injured."_ The Quarian replied, her normally girlish voice a little too thready with emotion for my peace of mind... it reminded me uncomfortably of Kai Leng. I also became acutely aware that, without Kean to give her orders, our ability to control the trophy taker was minimal.

"Confirmed." I responded. "Hold position."

She clicked her mic in response, and I heard her light rifle bark out two rounds in quick succession. Evidently the banshee needed some time to recover from losing an arm, as the remaining sixty seconds before the _Normandy_ 's arrival passed largely as a low-intensity gun duel. Though, from the volume of fire coming our way, T'Laria had been entirely correct in assuming that enemy reinforcements had been en route. I counted at least eight commandos, matching two squads minus two deaths.

" _Incoming fire support."_ Joker's voice cracked over the general frequency, " _Hold on to your asses."_

Adjusting my biotics, I hunkered down and all but locked myself in place in a cocoon of energy, Vasir doing the same beside me. A few seconds late the entire left wall of the hangar exploded in fire, starting about fifty meters ahead and extending in a rapid sequence for another two hundred moving away as more missiles struck. Wind began to roar into the confined space, cutting off a furious howl from the banshee, and making nearly everything inaudible.

Just outside, the lean, curved shape of my flagship rapidly grew in size before decelerating.

"Fire aft!" I ordered after a second to consider where we were in relation to the Reaper, "We're near the Prothean wreck forward."

In response, the _Normandy_ 's light cannon began to flash, and more explosions began to tear into the wrecked ships and debris. It all likelihood it didn't kill anyone, but it would hopefully prevent any more reinforcements from interfering with our retreat.

"Tech team!" Vasir snapped as she got back up, using her weapon rather than her biotics, likely saving herself for the banshee's inevitable return. "Get going!"

"EDI, Chi!" I added, "Get Kean moving!"

Things began to happen in rapid sequence at that point. The Broker team emerged from the back of the Prothean ship, hauling a wide variety of equipment, juggling datapads, and otherwise struggling to move as fast as they could towards the opening as the frigate swung closer to accept them into its airlock. To my other side, EDI had hauled Kean up and over her shoulder without any issues, Chi and Shaaryak moving with her, their pistols barking in suppressing fire, while T'Voth remained behind to cover them.

Our enemies noticed our shift of tactics, and this time the banshee's howl was audible even over the roaring winds. I narrowed my eyes, noted a pair of blue flashes on the far left, guessed it's goal, and drew my power and will together before unleashing a gout of warpfire from my left hand. The blue-white torrent streamed out like a flamethrower into the space just behind the group carrying Kean, and the banshee flashed into reality in the middle of my attack.

The tiny form recoiled, ducked, rolled out, and came to its feet staring at me; clearly furious that its attempt to hit them from behind had been foiled.

This close I could see it far better than I'd had at a distance. Its armor wasn't true plating, rather some kind of rock or coral that seemed to have grown from its skin, covering everything but its face. Said face was like something from a nightmare, gaunt skin a pallid gray taught over its skull, eyes that were blazing blue and matched lines of eezo tracing the nerves around its chin and neck. Its left arm had been taken mid-forearm, but looked to be shifting even as I watched, bone extending from the wound to form a blood-covered spike.

Lovely.

The creature flashed forwards, coming at Vasir and I in a blur of dark motion. Knowing better than to take such a charge, I flung myself back and brought my rifle up, firing at full auto as it re-appeared. Rounds screamed into its barriers, and it actually staggered back as the Spectre added her shotgun's fire to the barrage. Vasir was firing one handed, using her other to hurl a nullification grenade.

It saw it coming, set its face in a snarl, and whipped its stump in a throwing motion to hurl the thing back towards us before it could detonate. Vasir dove left, and I right to evade the effects, knowing that we'd be dead in seconds without our biotics. The banshee sighted on the Spectre as the greater threat, and rushed forwards, its own weapon booming to shatter the woman's barriers, another howl coming as it prepared to shoot again.

Before it could fire, it abruptly recoiled as a nullifier went off right behind it, and then one of Chi's daggers slashed across its ankles as the Quarian's cloak fell, revealing her lithe frame diving past it. My rifle had overheated, which was irritating, so instead I once more called on my biotics. The slam hurled the banshee directly upwards before hurling it back into the ground with bone-shattering force, sending pieces of rock flying as its armor broke.

Dropping my weapon, I drew my pistol, ready to execute the thing... and was entirely unprepared when it simply bounded back to its feet, surged forwards too quickly for even my enhanced body to react, and decked me right in the jaw.

I staggered from the blow, my visor cracking and HUD failing, then from the follow-up that sent my pistol flying and broke my wrist. Pain exploded up my right arm as my hand went numb, and I only barely got a tiny barrier in place to deflect a thrust with its bone-spear as it tried to gut me. Its jaw distended as it howled, biotic light already flaring around it again, then it twirled, kicking me away before meeting Chi's rush as the Quarian came at its back.

I expected it to hit her with a flare or warpfire, and from the way she tried to dodge to the left so did she, but instead something else happened. I had no idea _what_ , precisely, but the Quarian abruptly went rigidly still. As she'd been in motion at the time, that meant she over-balanced, fell, and rolled twice, barely twitching even once she came to a stop.

Two rockets, a carnage round from Vasir and a traditional missile from EVA, struck it a second later. Its barriers finally buckled, shattering as it screamed in real pain, and then the banshee vanished in an implosion of blue light and air as it retreated once more.

"Up!" I could barely hear Vasir screaming the word as she skidded to a stop beside me, trying to haul me upright. EVA was doing the same to Chi, though the Quarian remained immobile, forcing the mech to simply haul her up like cargo.

Moving was difficult, but I remembered how to move my legs in the proper sequence fairly quickly. Gunfire continued to thunder ahead and behind us, a few rounds kicking at our shields and armor as the Asari dragged me along as quickly as she could. With my HUD down, I had to crane my neck around, letting me realize what I was seeing.

T'Voth was still covering us from behind, her massive rifle booming as she flashed from one position to another. Ahead of us, T'Laria and Shaaryak were firing from a position near the waiting _Normandy_ , while a massive frame was visible in the airlock. T'Donna had to lean against the bulkhead to keep her upright, but she held a light machine gun in both hands, and was cutting loose with heavy bursts to cover everyone's retreat.

The banshee howled again just as we reached the ship, the Spectre all but pitching me inside just behind EVA and Chi. Shaaryak staggered in right behind us, the woman bleeding badly from a wound near her stomach, and another in her left shoulder.

"Let's go!" Joker shouted from his place ahead of us, "Two more Republic ships just showed up and we're sitting ducks here!"

"Trena!" Vasir shouted, shoving everyone out of the airlock and into the ship proper. "Back!"

T'Donna was sent staggering as both Asari exploded in flash-steps, hanging onto each other as they arrived. They had barely done so before T'Laria whirled around and shoved a hand out, a barrier forming just before a flare struck it directly. The tiny Asari howled in pain as her power proved as incapable of my own at blocking such a thing, collapsing back even as the shield blunted the explosion and kept us all alive.

"Go!" I rasped. "Moreau! Go!"

The sight outside of the airlock abruptly whirled as the ship banked hard away, another blue flash screaming through the space we'd just occupied. Then all I could see was the stars and the rolling horizon of the gas giant, a view that cut off as the towering Asari nearest the controls slapped them to shut the airlock's outer door.

Grasping onto a stanchion with my good hand, I panted and tried to force my mind to continue functioning, reaching up with my good hand to remove my useless helmet. "Get us out system, and back to the Terminus."

"Already on it." The pilot replied, "Next stop Omega."

"Good." I exhaled, "Send for... nevermind."

Doctor Chakwas, with Kelly, Gardner, and a trio of ensigns were already exiting the elevator and moving briskly in our direction.

From there, it was time to evaluate our wounds. Shaaryak had actually been shot three times, not twice, and was forced onto a stretcher before being taken down to medical. T'Laria went with her, cradling an obviously broken left arm as she did, supported by Gardner. Behind them went Vasir, who managed a few steps before collapsing and needing a stretcher as well. The Spectre had actually suffered severe burns all along her left flank, her armor broken and cracked from a strike I hadn't seen, and had apparently also taken a shot to her left calf. How she'd been walking, let alone running, I had no idea.

Chi came back to reality as Kelly was applying a splint to my wrist, Chakwas having evaluated me and noting that I'd already set the injury myself. The Quarian woman stirred from where T'Donna and T'Voth were leaning over her, ripping her helmet off with shaking hands before throwing up onto the decking. Her face was... much the same as T'Donna's had been on Benihi, all those years ago; with bloody trails running from her too-large eyes and nose. She began to shake almost at once, wordless, mewling sounds coming from her throat, and upon hearing them the larger of the Asari all but scooped her up into her arms.

I expected her to thrash or struggle, but instead she all but curled into a ball in the woman's lap and simply panted rapidly with her eyes squeezed shut.

T'Donna gave me a glare as she noticed my attention, and I politely averted my eyes. "EDI, EVA, please help them get down to their quarters. Help Miss T'Donna carrying Miss Chi, make sure Kean is stable and comfortable, and see about disabling the injections if they're still keeping him down."

The two AI both hummed in acceptance, stepping forwards. Rather than attempt to take the Quarian, EDI simply moved behind the Asari and helped her get upright. Getting them moving was an awkward exercise, but T'Voth placed a hand on my shoulder and muttered a quiet thanks as EVA got Kean up and into her arms. Then the six of them were gone, leaving me alone with Kelly and the bridge crew.

"Well." The psychologist mused as she tended to my wrist, "At least everyone is intact physically. How was it?"

I inhaled sharply, remembering the surroundings, how I'd found myself all but walking on top of Kean and Chi. How, even knowing that the Reaper around us was dead, that the sheer oppressive aura of it had affected me. We may have gotten in and out under our best-guess time limit, but all of the research we possessed had come from exposure to far more limited artifacts. Even a mere hour inside a dead Reaper may have been too long.

"Haunting." I supplied shortly, not ready to discuss it further. "We'll all need scans."

She nodded once, "Chi?"

"Banshee." I replied. "I think it affected her with its orb. She went from trying to dodge to paralyzed in an instant."

The redhead closed her eyes and exhaled, "That's... not going to be good if I'm even half-right on my analysis of her."

"No." I agreed quietly. "But that will be their business, leave it to them."

Kelly bit her lip, but nodded once again and fell silent, the only sound becoming the quiet conversation between the pilot and EDI. I flexed my fingers slightly as best I could when the brace was in place, feeling more thrums of pain. I'd probably need medication sooner than later, and I definitely needed food after all of the energy I'd expended.

"Have Gardner put together a meal, as soon as the Doctor no longer needs his aid." I spoke quietly as Kelly stepped away, both of us turning and starting slowly aft. "I'm going to compile everything about the mission while it's fresh and see about contacting Shepard. EDI, you have the ship."

" _Yes, Miss Lawson."_ The AI replied.

I turned back to Kelly as we walked, "Where are the Broker agents?"

"The main bay." She reported, "The recovered artifacts are being placed into the port storage room, thought it best to keep them isolated until we find a way to examine them safely."

"Good." The fewer chances we took with whatever they'd grabbed, the better. I doubted they'd seized any obvious Reaper tech, but it couldn't hurt to be sure. "EDI, I also want you and EVA to evaluate everything they brought on board. If it isn't the IFF, eject it from the ship... and keep the team contained to the shuttle bay until we arrive at Omega and can disembark them."

" _Yes, Miss Lawson."_ She repeated herself.

Exhaling quietly, I did my best to not look haggard as I walked past the bridge crew. From their expressions, I didn't quite manage it. Hearing Kelly's quiet cough, I sighed, paused, and did my best to boost morale by thanking them all for their work on a successful mission. Goldstein at least seemed to appreciate my words, puffing up a little when I complimented her gunnery and the skill of the crew in taking out several ships our own size.

The rest were likely happier to hear that we'd be going down to condition three, finally releasing most of them from duty stations.

Despite my lack of orders, Kelly elected to follow me into the elevator and up into my quarters. There she made herself more useful by remaining silent and simply helping me out of my armor, laying out the pieces and inspecting them as I went into the bathroom for a badly needed shower. Cleaning myself with one hand was unpleasant, but regrettably it wasn't a new experience. All in all I supposed I could consider myself lucky to merely escape with a few minor breaks and a mild case of biotic exhaustion.

When I emerged, clad in a standard uniform, I found two energy drinks and several protein bars laid out on my desk beside a cheerfully smiling redhead.

"It may be a while before a full meal can be prepared, so I took the liberty." She informed me.

Grimacing, I settled into my chair, and then glowered when she tore open the packets for me, as if I was an invalid. "...my armor?"

Kelly shrugged, "I'm not an expert, but your right forearm plate has a bunch cracks in it... and your helmet has a huge dent where your chin would go."

Lovely. And without... Jacob... we didn't have a true armorer on board. I'd have to ask Kean for a minor favor in replacing the equipment, I had only had a single back-up with. Speaking of, "Is Kean awake?"

EDI replied, her voice something close to annoyed. "Unknown, Miss T'Donna activated scrambling equipment that is preventing me from listening to activity within the crew quarters... and both cameras have been covered in omni-gel patches _."_

I shook my head a little, forcing a bar that tasted of nothing in particular into my mouth. EDI hated having her cameras and audio intakes disabled, equating the sensation to being both numbed and blinded. It was something I had hard time understanding, given that she had full audio-visual of the rest of the ship, much as EVA supervised Peregrine base, so the temporary loss of a single room was hardly anything. But it bothered her enough that I had asked Shepard and Kean to simply ask her for privacy rather than utilize scramblers, and she had seemed to react positively to that.

But if Chi was having a break-down, even if Kean was awake I didn't think he would risk _anyone_ seeing what was happening.

"Please alert me when any of them leave the room." I asked, "And if they go to the lounge remind them that they aren't to have more than one drink."

EDI's 'mouth' moved, "Understood ma'am. I will... Director Kean is awake."

I blinked, "He departed the room?"

"Negative." She replied, "The olfactory sensors have detected _chehala_ smoke within the crew quarters."

Kelly pursed her lips, "Hm."

I glanced at her, "Suggestions?"

EDI pulsed. "Activate the fire suppressant system?"

While I groaned, Kelly rolled her eyes, "No, EDI... and please tell me that wasn't Jeff's suggestion."

"He suggested it may be amusing the last time Director Kean attempted to smoke outside of the approved areas." She replied, "Was he incorrect?"

"No, it may be amusing, but this is not the time or the place given the situation." She replied firmly, "Humor is all about timing and this is very much not it."

"I will consider this." EDI replied.

"Please do." I shook my head, "Kelly?"

The psychologist pursed her lips before returning to the original question, "Best to give them their space for now. They are a very enclosed group, I doubt that T'Laria or Shaaryak will be told any real details about what is occurring right now. When they do leave the quarters, offer your usual companionship and help them focus on the mission."

I tapped a finger on my desk, considering that in relation to what I personally knew and though of the group. It made a certain amount of sense, they would almost certainly close ranks and consider even polite inquiries to be the prelude to an intrusion. Especially given that Chi was the least mentally stable of the four... and, if I was being honest, Kean and T'Donna were the only ones on board who could understand what had happened to her.

We could offer sympathetic ears if they elected to drink and complain, something I assumed to be an inevitability, but little more.

"We'll leave them to resolve it on their own." I exhaled, reaffirming my earlier decision and turning to activate my desk's console. A gesture brought up my inbox, a priority message from Shepard at the top of the list. Opening it revealed little beyond a simple acknowledgment that they had arrived at Haestrom and made contact with the 'True Geth'. "Time to Haestrom?"

"Including a stop at Omega, and time to discharge, at least five days." EDI responded at once. "Based upon what information that Director Kean supplied in regards to the Terminus-Quarian campaign, we will arrive one day prior to the projected attack on the world."

Kelly closed her eyes, leaning against the desk beside me. "Do you think we'll be lucky for once? That Shepard will actually resolve this diplomatically and let us simply pick her up and leave?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response." I replied flatly, "EDI, don't even think about calculating the odds, I don't want to know them."

"...understood, Miss Lawson."

* * *

 _ **Codex: Normandy class stealth ship**_

 _The most expensive frigates produced by the Alliance remain controversial even now. Originally only a single prototype, the Normandy, was ordered, but after her successful operations against the Geth another eleven were ordered by a pleased Defense Committee. However, after evaluations by Rear Admiral Mikhalovich, Admiral Tondo, and Admiral Ahern, followed by discussions with said committee, this number was cut down to six, and then to three._

 _The reasons for this modification are largely due to the vessels' extreme costs when compared to their battle-worth. While they are capable of delivering devastating surprise attacks, said attacks are almost entirely missile and torpedo oriented, and its supplies of such weapons are minimal. Worse, its light cannon and gardian weapons were simply insufficient for it to act as a proper picket, and its extremely light armor rendered it unsuitable for ground support._

 _Designs for a vastly enlarged, more combat-oriented vessel were drawn up, tentatively named the Gallipoli class, but its own extreme costs and eezo requirements saw it shelved in favor of purchasing additional line cruisers. These blueprints would be stolen and re-purposed by Cerberus._

 _Normandy class (SA): SR-1 Normandy (destroyed), SR-2 Java Sea, SR-3 Sicily, SR-4 North Cape_

 _Gallipoli class (Cerberus): SR Normandy II, possible second hull_

* * *

 _ **Next up is Mechanical Accelerant IV**_

 _And here we get to see that not all banshees are created equally, and I will go ahead and confirm that different Leviathans were responsible for each. In other news, everyone got out alive, though varying degrees of battered, and Voya is more than a bit unsettled by joining Illyan in the Leviathan-touched crowed._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	36. Operation: Mechanical Accelerant IV

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Mechanical Accelerant**

* * *

 **SA Seventh Fleet – Meeting Notes**

 _\- Marked Top Secret by Adm. Zheng -_

 _Admiral Zheng_ : _The instructions are clear, simple, and well thought out politically. However, they are absolutely useless when it comes to the reality on the ground._

 _Prime Minister Shastri: Do explain, Admiral._

 _Admiral Zheng: You want me to treat the single least uniform, least organized, least centralized region in the galaxy as a monolithic bloc and apply Alliance authority to a region that the Council has spent a millennium failing to pacify... and you want me to do it with a fleet that is still coming online and is extremely light on heavy assets._

 _Prime Minister Shastri: Confidentially... yes, I am aware that the instructions are writ insanity, but my hands are tied politically. Terra Firma is going to walk out of the coalition if we don't do it and the last thing we need right now is for the government to collapse._

 _Admiral Zheng: ...all right, will I at least have your back if I attempt to mitigate some sections? Moving into the Hegemony border zone could unify that nation against an outside actor, and while they are crippled we very much do not need them deciding that death and glory is better that avoiding a fight._

 _Prime Minister Shastri: Agreed... and if you could avoid irritating the Empress, I would appreciate it as well. The Council would be all too happy to look the other way if that bitch decided to take a few swipes at us, and Parliament would explode with demands for a war we can't afford._

 _Admiral Zheng: We are in agreement there. My initial plan is to secure those areas closest to the Verge, and to dispatch picket groups to those colonies that invite us in. I believe it imperative that we do not appear to be invaders, a coalition of local worlds deciding to support the pirates moving into the Deep Zone and Hegemony border territories would be problematic._

 _Prime Minister Shastri: Learning from the Corsairs mistakes?_

 _Admiral Zheng: I don't suppose I'll have command authority over those maniacs?_

 _Prime Minister Shastri: Regrettably, Admiral Mannfeld remains extremely popular with both Arcturas and Vancouver. You'll have to mitigate the damage as best you can._

* * *

 **Silent Witness**

 _(Voya'chi vas Xentha)_

 **Date:** 12-06-2187

 **Location:** _Normandy II_ Lounge, en route to the Perseus Veil

* * *

I stared at the starry expanse, absently lifting my glass to my lips, hardly tasting the brandy as it washed over my tongue. For once I was alone in the lounge, having slipped out of our quarters while the other slept, though experience told me I could expect company sooner or later. Cieran tended to wake up rather quickly after my departure, the lack of my warmth rousing him no matter how deeply he might be sleeping.

But for now... it was just me, alone.

A voice whispered from my memories, gravelly and mocking. _As you should be, little beast. Alone in the dark, hidden in your cave where your new master cannot find you._

My fingers tightened furiously, trying to stop myself from remembering what that _thing_ had said, what it had done. The connection between my skull and the stupid orb hadn't lasted more than a few seconds according to everyone, but it... had seemed like forever. More than enough time for a Leviathan to rummage around in my memories, to taunt and mock me as it did so. It had seemed to have no interest in killing me, or any of us, but causing pain? That... that had interested it.

 _They will tire of you, just as your prior owners tired of mounting your filthy body. Sooner or later they will realize you are not worth the effort it takes to hold your leash... the effort to correct your mistakes... to hide your victims. They will cover your eyes, fill the air with sweet words, and slit your throat... and then, little beast, you will die like the kine you are._

Squeezing my eyes shut, I threw the rest of my drink back, spilling some of it over my chin thanks to the shaking of my hand.

 _Flee into the dark, little beast, die alone like the animal you know yourself to be... before you force them to put you down._

I managed to set the glass onto the end table without breaking the stupid thing, but it was a near run. My hands clenched into fists in my lap as I fought to control my breathing, to push the memories back into the hidden valley they deserved to be locked within. It was enough to distract me entirely, to block out the sound of the door opening behind me, and my first warning that I wasn't alone was the shifting of the couch as someone sat beside me.

But as I was pulled against a warm frame, rather than a Human who always found a way to smell of _chehala_ and rum, I inhaled the oddly sweet scent of Asari skin.

"Let..." I exhaled sharply, focusing on the anger her touch brought, using it to push everything else aside. "...go of me."

"No." Illyan replied placidly, gently wiping at the booze on my chin.

I made a low, growling sound in my throat, the only warning I gave before I snapped a hand up to strike her jaw. The big idiot took the blow with a quiet grunt, then brought her own hand around. Asari weren't as strong as Quarians, pound for pound... but Illyan was Illyan. The blow snapped my head to the side, bounced it off of the hard back of the couch, and left me entirely open for a follow-up grab at my mane.

Pain flared across my scalp as she effortlessly hauled me down, leaving my head in her lap and my body awkwardly thrashed, desperately trying to angle itself to lessen the pressure.

"No." She spoke in the same tones, not even having the grace to sound annoyed. "Calm down."

"Fuck _off_." I hissed in reply, trying to get my right arm out from under me, my left going for her wrist. Illyan easily grabbed me with her free hand before I could punch or claw her, abusing both her strength and the terrible position I was stuck in. My flailing redoubled, real pain spiking as she tightened her grip on my hair, refusing to let me get away. She didn't slam my head against anything else, or really do much beyond hold on, but that was all she had to do.

That had been my second drink, and I hadn't been getting much sleep. Within five minutes I was exhausted and panting, my legs up and over the armrest of the couch while my head was stuck on her thighs, glaring up at her as best I could while I tried to catch my breath.

"You done?" She asked, looking down at me, disapproval and annoyance etched in her features.

I glared at her as best I could given my position, "I hate you."

Blue eyes rolled, "If you hated me, you'd have gone for the knife in your shoe."

A muscle in my cheek twitched sharply. "I'm not going to talk with you."

She didn't deign reply to that, instead simply relaxing her fingers from their death drip on my mane. Moments later the pain began to fade as she began to stroke my hair in the same fashion Cieran would to soothe me, and I had to fight the reflexive urge to close my eyes. Of course, no sooner had my eyelids started to move, then the ancestor's damned memory came back.

 _Little pet..._

"Stop!" I growled, ready to start a second effort to escape... only to blink in surprise when she did cease the motions. That left my brain scrambling to figure out what it should do instead of futilely attempting violence once more. "Let go of me and go away."

There was a snort, making my lips twist in displeasure when she simply shifted a hand to flick my nose with a finger. I considered biting the digit, realized she'd just hold onto my scalp, and settled for glaring up at her. My glare was pretty good, but she'd been inoculated thanks to being on the receiving end of Cieran's more times than I could count. Her arm shifted down until it was resting on my stomach, and she leaned back as if prepared to simply wait me out.

She'd been trying to corner me for the last three days, and it had only been by sinking my claws into Cieran, sometimes literally, that had let me avoid this very situation. That she was _touching_ me was not helping in the slightest, I was entirely too aware of where her arms were, and the weight of them on me. I could tolerate small things from Shyeel, and more from Cieran, but that had come through a lot of time and adjustments.

Illyan and I were... more complicated.

"I don't need a sister, or a parent, or whatever the fuck you want to call it." I said, speaking quietly, trying to force myself to remain calm, "We've been over that shit before, on Omega."

Illyan made a quiet rumbling noise, "I'm not here to act like that and you bloody know it, you're just trying to avoid shit."

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on my breathing again. "Illyan-"

"No, Voya." She effortlessly spoke over me, "This drinking yourself into a stupor on your own crap doesn't suit you. You're going to talk with me or I'm going to beat you senseless... and then you're going to talk with me anyway."

"I talked with Cie." I replied darkly, not opening my eyes. "I don't need to talk with you."

"Liar." Her voice turned flat. "There's been more than one of us with you at all times, you've never dragged him off for a conversation."

Another growl made my throat vibrate, "I'm _going_ to talk with him about it, not with _you._ Let go of me, and fuck off."

"No." This time she actually growled as well, "You _are_ going to talk with me for once in your goddess-damned life... or you're at least going to listen to me when I talk with you. I fucking know what it's like to have one of those... _things_ break into your head and taunt you with all the shit it finds."

I sucked in a sharp breath... and once again tried to get away from her. She held me down even more easily this time, ignoring the punches and elbows I managed to land with a stoic indifference before grabbing my wrist and tightening her grip on my hair once again. Hissing in pain, I threw my free palm into her chin, making her grunt quietly, the sound choking off when I pressed onto her throat. That let me feel a bit of metal; she was wearing a necklace.

Baring my teeth in a snarl, I grabbed at it, forcing her to bend over slightly. She strained against it, sensibly more focused on my attempts to free my other wrist, and my grip shifted as we struggled, drawing the necklace itself out of her shirt. Metal clinked against metal as two small tabs, plus a black shard, emerged. I recognized all three objects at once and felt my fingers snap open in surprise.

Illyan's head whipped back as the pressure faded, blue eyes blinking before glancing down to see what had drawn my attention and made me stop struggling

My own eyes narrowed a little, "Why are you wearing those."

The hand in my hair released the strands, and snapped up to grab the chain and push it back beneath her shirt. I glowered more deeply, seizing her wrist before she could hide them. I couldn't read the Human writing on the small metal tabs, but glimpses of the other sides revealed stylized blue flames on one, and red fire on the other. The identification tags that Krom and Zero One had been wearing when we'd... when _she_ had killed them. Between them was a single shard of Emperor Ganar's crest, three of the best kills we'd had.

My claws broke her skin as I tightened my grip, "Illyan... you _never_ liked the practice."

The big idiot regarded me without any real expression on her face, then she looked away and exhaled. "We're not here to talk about me, I wanted to-"

"We are now." I snapped, not letting go. " _Why?"_

Lips pulled back from teeth, "Because I'm _useless_ right now, and they remind me of when I wasn't, all right? You don't have any idea what it's like to be stuck behind while you three go off to fight shit, especially husked shit again."

I flicked my tongue over my lips, trying not to wince as I pictured myself with a mangled leg, being left behind as the others went off. Keelah, I'd probably start twitching inside of the first couple of minutes. "Oh."

She merely grunted and twisted her wrist free, pushing the trophies back beneath her dark shirt. "Look, as much as I _want_ to force you to actually talk to me for once in your goddess-damned life... I won't make you say crap if you really don't want to. That said, I'm not going to leave you in here drinking alone either. You should fucking know better, considering what it led Cieran to end up doing."

I flinched at the memories of how many drinks he'd downed in between Redcliffe and Illium. He hadn't exactly been the only one, none of us had been sober for very long on that trip, but he'd been the only one to get someone pregnant in the same time-frame. My hand fell back and rubbed furiously at my face, trying to bury the reminder that Erana wasn't Cieran's only child... and that I had no idea how I felt about the subject as a whole.

"...I've only had two." I muttered defensively, mostly talking for the sake of finding a distraction.

"Two in what, fifteen minutes?" Her head shook, "I'm not letting you up to get more."

I felt my upper lip twitch away from my teeth, "So I'm just going to be stuck here, neither of us saying anything, until when?"

"Until Cieran wakes up, eats, and decides to find us." She replied simply.

Huffing out a breath through my nose, I shifted my body back and forth a bit, trying to get comfortable. Illyan rolled her eyes when I crossed my arms over my chest, my toes flexing as I kept my legs twitching, making it clear that I didn't consider myself comfortable in the slightest. That lasted until Illyan withdrew her arms, stretching one along the back of the couch, the other bringing her omni-tool up to read something.

And then... the only part of us touching was my head in her lap... where I could see her upper torso right above me.

My eyes closed firmly against the sight, even as I chased the logic through my mental valleys. Illyan was a lot of things... overbearing, irritating, annoying strong, but she was about as bad of a liar as Cieran was. Oh she'd _technically_ told me the truth about why she was wearing the trophies, told me _a_ logical reason, but definitely not _the_ only reason. It was the same reason she'd come in here instead of sending Cieran... or why'd she blocked him and sent him off to eat and volunteered to take the first attempt.

She wanted to talk with me alone, wanted to comfort me... and she was up to something. Something that involved her wearing three trophies that put anything that I owned to shame.

I sucked in a sharp breath, snapping my eyes open to glare at her. "Who?"

She glanced down at me, "Hm?"

"Who did you talk to?" I demanded, before belatedly realizing that we weren't exactly alone. "No, wait, EDI! Privacy!"

" _Logging you out, Miss Chi."_ The AI replied politely. For her part, Illyan blinked, still seemingly confused as to what I was even talking about.

"Harro? Halia?" I continued, pressing her, " _Who?"_

"Oh." Blue lips pressed together as she glanced away from me, clearly embarrassed at having been caught out. "...think it's better that I don't say."

Hissing in anger, I hauled myself up, and this time she made no move to stop me. Pulling my legs in, I turned and settled in a crouch beside her, fighting the urge to grab her necklace and tear it off of her. When I spoke again, my voice was a low, angry growl. "Illyan..."

She kept looking away, "What?"

"You..." I needed a moment, sucking in a sharp breath, fighting to keep myself from attacking her. "You're declaring yourself a peer, a rival."

That made her blink, "Wait, what?"

I narrowed my eyes to slits. "For Cieran, obviously!"

Her mouth opened, then closed, then she shook her head and sighed. "Voya, use your brain. I physically _can't_ meld with Cie. You have no idea how agonizing it is, and even with the notes that Aria gave us in that deal Ghai isn't sure it'll ever be a pain-free process. Even if she cures him he probably won't ever be able to bond without driving his partner mad, then going crazy in turn."

"Then what are..." It was my turn to blink and shake my head, my jealous anger abruptly retreating. If she wasn't wearing them to point out that her kills were superior to mine, to tacitly declare herself the better prize to Cieran, then why wear them? It wasn't as if there was a Xenthan around whom she wanted to show off... for... oh _keelah..._ "You can't be serious."

Illyan swallowed as her cheeks darkened from a deep blue to something closer to the color of our uniforms, "Um, it depends on what you're asking if I'm serious about?"

I opened my mouth to reply, realized that my throat wasn't working because my mind had just run right into a cliff wall in its confusion. I mean, I'd known Illyan just as long as I'd known Cieran, but... we'd been closer to hostile acquaintances stuck together for Cieran's sake more than actual friends. It had taken a lot of arguments, fist fights, ambushes, cruel pranks, and the occasional irate beat-down by the hands of said Human before we'd gotten anywhere close to 'friendly'.

So instead of talking, I simply pointed a finger at her, and then at me. When her flush only deepened, I just kept gaping at her. "I... you... _what?_ Tell me this is just get into Cieran's bed again."

"Um," She swallowed, "What if it-"

I grabbed her by the throat, her words becoming a gasping sound, and leaned in close to her face as I growled, "My brain is about to break in half, do you understand?"

"It is?" Cieran's voice interrupted us, and I snapped my head around to see him standing in the doorway. He held a glass of gently steaming tea in one hand, and a plate of food in the other, and looked entirely too amused at the scene in front of him... but thankfully seemed to have missed the first part of this conversation. "What did she say to send you to the edge of sanity?"

"Nothing." I replied flatly, turning to give Illyan a slit-eyed glare as I tightened my grip a bit. " _Nothing."_

She managed a nod, and only then did I let go. Her blush hadn't faded however, and I pointedly got up, shifted over to one of the other couch, and dropped into it instead. Cieran shook his head bemusedly, taking the spot beside me and starting in on his food. Despite the light smile on his face, I noted his pale green eyes taking in the room, and the two glasses and spilled brandy on the end table between our couch and Illyan's.

I winced when his attention shifted to me, concern and disappointment making something in my chest twist unpleasantly.

"Well," He offered quietly, "Not sure what that was about, but at least you're doing all right."

I opened my mouth to reply, only for Illyan to beat me to it, "She isn't boss. Got her distracted but she'd downed those even before I limped in here."

"I'm fine." I said, shaking my head and making my hair rustle. "It's not like being abused is a new experience."

Illyan winced while Cieran went still, his breath escaping sharply between his teeth. "True, but it didn't make it any easier for me to have to go through that shit again... and you could at least hunt down and kill the assholes who raped you physically."

Even by his standards, that was rather blunt, and I felt myself flinch back a little. "Cie... I don't-"

A pale hand rose, and I shut my mouth on reflex. "I'm not asking you to talk about it, but don't tell us you're fine. You're _not_ fine."

Swallowing, I felt the confusion of my conversation with Illyan fading as the memories came easily, too easily, back to me. Almost unconsciously I found myself shifting closer to him, leaning in to rub my cheek across his goatee, feeling the gentle scratching of his hair. Then I curled into a ball and rested my head on his shoulder, inhaling his scent and finding myself far more comfortable than I had been near Illyan.

"Illyan told me some of what hers hit her with." He spoke quietly, setting his barely-touched food aside. "It wasn't much like what happened to me. I just got broken memories as it tried to turn me into a puppet, but suddenly thinking of it as a kind of god wasn't exactly pleasant."

I closed my eyes, realizing that this must have been some kind of arranged plan between the two _keshin._ Illyan came in first, see if she could get me to open up on her own... and Cieran came in later, after she inevitably failed. Then the pair of them would talk about their own shitty experiences, remind me that I wasn't alone, that they had suffered beside me and would continue to do so. Me discovering Illyan's necklace, and whatever the _fuck_ that was about, had been an accident that had distracted the both of us.

"Where's Shyeel?" I asked quietly.

"Meeting with Lawson about what's happening on Haestrom." Cieran replied, "So I could be in here with you."

Guilt over yet another instance of him dropping everything else to take care of me made me flinch, a hand tightening in his shirt as I took in a deep breath. "I'm... not fine, but I don't-"

"Mine was... more pain oriented." Illyan spoke from across the room, her voice soft as she interrupted me once again, "It knew someone else would smash the orb, even if I didn't, so it just wanted to fuck with me. Told me I'd die alone, that Cie and I would never last, that I'd go mad, just like that bitch Zero-One. That he'd just become a new version of Krom.. that we'd be that bitch's playthings, that you and Shyeel would have to hunt us down, put us out of our misery."

My eyes squeezed more tightly shut. It had probably been the same Leviathan to affect her as me, the similarities were there. "I hate you, I hate both of you."

I felt Cieran smile as he bent his head slightly, not quite nuzzling my mane. "You love me. Her you might hate a bit, but you love me."

"Don't remind me." The reflexive words came out, before I lowered my head a bit more.

Silence fell, but it was a comfortable one. The pair of them just remaining nearby, telling me that they were here without so much as speaking, without pushing. Offering me companionship without demanding anything in return.

That lasted all of a minute before I felt my mouth keep moving without any input from my brain. Words tumbled out, telling them how it had told me that I was little more than a wild animal, held on a leash. How Cieran was merely my latest slave master, replacing the ones who had raped me. That sooner or later I would cause too many problems with my attitude, that I would kill the wrong person at the wrong time... that they would decide to put me down like a pet that had outlived its usefulness.

Cieran's arms had wrapped around me at some point during the retelling, pulling me entirely into his lap, his fingers clenching almost painfully where he held my shoulder and my waist. He'd slid them both beneath my shirt, as if clutching my skin and hair, feeling me directly was critical to him knowing that I was still here.

That, I think, far more than merely speaking what had happened aloud, made me feel slightly better. His very real rage was making his jaw clench, and I could feel his heart thrumming with the emotion in his chest. Whatever that fucking... what had he called them, delusional space squid had said, he didn't consider himself my _master._ He was mine, my Promised, though he didn't know it, and I knew that he wanted nothing more than to butcher the Leviathan that had hurt me.

Preferably in as slow a fashion as he could devise.

"You're angry." I muttered quietly, speaking after ten or fifteen minutes of silence, and pointedly not looking at the Asari. I didn't think my fragile sanity could take seeing a similar expression on her features.

"Obviously." He replied, letting out a long, furious breath as he forced his fingers to relax. "...please tell me it isn't turning you on."

"It isn't turning me on." I lied flatly, not quite burying my face in the exposed skin around his neck, inhaling deeply once again. Dammit, we should have stayed on Omega... there I could have tried to do something for Cieran, to repay him for that anger, but I wasn't about to give Cerberus's pet AI a show. So instead of kicking Illyan out, biting him, and trying to guide his hands to my breasts... I leaned back and let out a long breath. "Please tell me we're done with the talking."

Cieran glanced down at me, then over at Illyan. When she twitched a shoulder, he did the same, "We're done. You want to work on something, spar?"

Those options sounded good... though anything would have sounded good when compared to my emotions bouncing around. Everything that had happened in the last hour or so was... something I no longer wanted to think about, not in the slightest. Not about what that thing had done to me, not about whatever the _fuck_ that Illyan was thinking, or scheming, or whatever. Although, bringing her up...

"Beating a giant idiot sounds rather good." I purred, finally turning to regard my target.

Her own eyes narrowed in reply, a hand waving at her stiffly bound leg. "I'm injured, remember?"

I cocked my head, "What's your point?"

There was a sigh from Cieran, "I'll spar with you after I finish eating. Illyan, you might want to stay up here, unless you want to have your leg broken again."

I glared at him, far less pleased than I had been a few moments before. " _Keshin_ , always ruining my fun..."

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _(Kaya Shepard)_

 **Date:** 12-06-2187

 **Location:** SSV _North Cape,_ Dholen System, Perseus Veil

* * *

I stared at the holographic display in the back of the comm room, the map of the system hovering in front of us as we tried to work out what the hell we were going to do with the latest crisis.

Two of the three factions involved in the fighting had lived up to their ends of the bargain that we'd worked out on Haestrom's ruined surface. Legion's faction of the Geth had done something, released some kind of virus into the Heretic's main network to effectively reset or brainwash as many programs as they could. That had evidently been enough to give them control of Rannoch once again, even if the Heretics had found a way to block the signal elsewhere. Still, their remaining assets were paltry compared to what they'd been a few days ago, and the true Geth had highlighted their positions for the Terminus fleets to dispose of.

For his part, Die Waffe had been something close to thrilled that he wouldn't have to take his fleet into action against Rannoch's defenses, and he'd more or less confirmed everything that T'Voth had told me about Terminus Warlords. None of them had seriously wanted to risk their big ships, and had grown increasingly irritated towards their Quarian 'allies'. As a result, he, Leska Sederis, and Oran T'Loak had all but fallen over themselves to sign an agreement promising to leave the Geth at Rannoch alone in exchange for their help against the Reapers, Leviathans, and Heretics.

But as always you only needed one side to start a war, or to keep one going.

The Quarian Admirals had refused to so much as send a representative to speak with Legion, and had in fact called me a fool, a moron, and worse for being so naive as to trust the collection of programs. They'd also railed at the Warlords for breaking the agreement they'd made before the war started, which had nearly started a shooting match between the two groups as the pirates had viciously thrown back the Migrant Fleet's continued refusal to engage the Get at all.

"All right Admiral." I sighed, wishing I could lean on something. "What's the latest?"

Admiral Zaal'Koris exhaled, suited arms crossing his chest on the screen beside the map, " _It remains confused. The other Admirals confirmed their intent to continue the war this morning, I was the only dissenting vote. They also refused to have the Conclave ratify the decision."_

Beside me, Ash frowned, a hand planting itself on her right hip. "Meaning?"

" _Meaning we're a few seconds away from political chaos."_ He replied, shaking his head. " _The original declaration of martial law was that it would last until the Geth rebellion had ended, by any sane definition, it has. That would turn political power over to the Conclave, which is dominated by my Civilian Fleet."_

I exhaled, "Who would immediately accept the armistice and open peace negotiations."

" _In all probability."_ Koris said simply, " _We would be given anything we needed from Rannoch to create a new home on Haestrom, would be promised Geth aid in the case of Council or Terminus action against us, and we would be free to live in peace... and those crusading keshin will never accept because all they care about is vengeance."_

Ash pursed her lips, "Can they force it, without the Terminus fleet?"

 _"Xen has us with a seventy percent chance of victory."_ Glowing eyes narrowed, " _Casualties are estimated in the millions, and the fool Gerrel is demanding the Live-ships accompany the attack despite the fact that losing them would kill us all even if we take the planet. It isn't as if the Geth have been politely farming and stockpiling food for us."_

Jesus Christ... "Are they _insane_?"

Koris was silent for a few moments before he spoke again, his voice cautious. " _The dream of retaking Rannoch is... more than merely a material goal, it is a religion unto itself, a symbol, something that many children are raised to believe in. A dream that dying in the process of doing is the greatest death a Quarian can have. It's most pervasive on the Heavy Fleet, and Raan, Gerrel, and Zorah were all raised in that culture."_

I exhaled sharply at that. Three fifths of the Quarian leadership were, for lack of a better word, indoctrinated then, and I realized that his choice of words had been precise. When he'd said that they were crusading, he'd meant it literally. Taking back their homeworld wasn't about rationality and logic, or even about justice... it was a holy purpose.

"Christ." I breathed, this time aloud. "You can't convince any of them to change? At least hold back and let the Geth prove their on the level?"

He shook his head once, " _Xen, she has no real interest in Rannoch and only wants to test her technological toys. I convinced her that hunting Reaper and Leviathan agents would probably be more intriguing to hunt and experiment upon, but that still left us outvoted three to two. Zorah and Gerrel will never change their minds, and Raan is... submissive to them."_

It was Ash's turn to narrow her eyes, "What do you mean?"

" _Meaning that she was given an Admiral's post because those two keshin new she'd do whatever they said."_ He growled, " _She's technically skilled enough, but she has no real willpower of her own."_

"Damn." My fellow Spectre muttered, "What's the plan then? The Armada and the Black Fleet are still blocking the relay, so they aren't going anywhere unless they want to pick a fight with their own allies."

"They can't afford to." I spoke before Koris could, waving a hand towards where the Steel Fleet and about seven pirate formations were lurking. "Waffe would be all over their asses if they tried, and he'd go for the live-ships."

The Quarian Admiral was again silent for a while, twenty or thirty seconds passing before he spoke again. " _He may not have to. If the flotilla is ordered to move, I have given instructions to the civilian fleet to ignore the order. I will not continue this war without a calling of the Conclave, without knowing the will of the people we claim to defend."_

His words made me bow my head slightly, half closing my eyes as I exhaled. How long had it been since I'd heard an authority figure actually speak words like that and mean then? "And if the Conclave voted for war?"

" _Then... I would command my fleet to the best of my ability."_ He said, with only the briefest of hesitations. " _My plan is to call for a vote across the Flotilla's Intranet in five hours. Not on the war, but on an in-person gathering of the Conclave on the Rayya. If the others refuse to allow their captains to attend, I will have all the proof I need to rally the general population against them. If they accept, we will have at least another day or two to work with, it will take that long to gather all of the Captains."_

I nodded slightly, "Understood Admiral. Good luck, and keep us informed."

" _Thank you for giving me the chance."_ He replied before signing off, leaving Ash and I alone in the room. Sighing and shaking my head, I turned away from the display and walked over to a chair. She watched as I collapsed in it, letting my head fall back against the rest, snorting and smiling with a bit of nostalgia as she did.

"Like old times." She crossed her arms across her chest, emphasizing the dark uniform she wore. "Just a new set of politicians giving us the same old problems."

I snorted softly. "Yeah."

The last few days, being on a real Alliance ship again, had been... different. Like coming home but finding out that someone had re-arranged everything while you were gone. The crew discovering just who I was, who my companions were, had been easier to handle than I'd worried, mostly thanks to Ash's quick thinking. She'd 'revealed' that I'd been nearly killed in the attack on Alchera, and had been undergoing extensive treatment and rehab in secret before using my supposed 'death' as a cover to help take down Cerberus.

It was... nice to be amongst Alliance soldiers once again, surrounded by people who had volunteered for service in the defense of their homes, of their liberty. It was a pleasant change from the company we'd been keeping for the last several months. Still, this wasn't the Normandy, with its crack complement of experienced veterans, used to the moral gray areas that Spectres had to work in. Most of Ash's crew were young recruits and recent graduates from various officer's schools, still innocent and idealistic.

The fact that Heinrich 'Die Waffe' Bauer, the closest thing to an arch-traitor Humanity had, was sitting right next door as our technical ally wasn't going over well. That we were, more or less, stopping the warlords from throwing their heaviest forces into a meat grinder was going over even more poorly. Things were fairly tense on board as a result, with no one openly questioning their CO, but it was clear what was on everyone's minds. Her prejudiced XO was not at all helping with that, to the point where I'd asked Miranda if the guy was Cerberus, and wasn't sure I believed her when she'd said no.

"Kean and Lawson will be here tomorrow, or the day after." I spoke into the quiet that had fallen, "You'll be able to get out of here after that."

Ash exhaled heavily, her faint smile vanishing as quickly as it had come. "How did their operation go?"

"Mixed." I replied, "They had both Geth and the Matriarch's cult try and interfere with their operation. Picked up what might be the right hardware to let us through the Omega-Four relay, but they got pretty beat up. No deaths, but... walking around inside a Reaper wasn't good for them. They're shaken, took a few wounds."

Her face twitched a little. "So you want to send me away when a bunch of unstable mercs and terrorists show up?"

"Want to? No." I admitted quietly, "Think it might be best? Unfortunately. Your people are barely tolerating what we're doing as it is, discipline might not hold if they have to deal with said mercs and terrorists in person."

Lips pressed into a thin line as she considered that. Watching her expression, I leaned in, resting my elbows on my knees, and asked a follow-up. "Ash, what the hell is up with this ship? You're the Alliance's only Spectre, why do you have a trainee crew filled with Terra Firma types?"

The other woman stared back at me for a few seconds, sighed, then made her way to collapse into the chair beside me. "Politics."

I grimaced. We hadn't really had the chance to talk over the last few days, mostly because I'd been too occupied interrogating Tali as to what we could expect when we got here, and trying to help her deal with some very severe parental issues. As a result I'd been slower to notice things like the crew's attitude towards the alien members of my team. It had been Liara and Garrus who'd brought it up over lunch yesterday, comparing the ship to the old _Normandy_ and finding it wanting.

"You're going to have to explain that one." I prodded.

She inhaled heavily, chest heaving, then slowly let it out. "Long story short, the only reason the last government pushed me as a candidate was because of my last name, and the only reason the Council let me get to the trial period was my attachment to you."

That was easy to translate. Terra Firma, or someone in that political bloc, had proposed her because they'd obviously expected any Williams to entirely support them. The Council, in turn, would have looked at her time with me and hoped she'd turn out to be as pro-Citadel as I had been. Which would have left her stuck, more than most combat Spectres typically tended to be.

"Oh, shit." I breathed as I connected a few more dots. "Ship's log had you in the Fortieth Scout, is that still run by...?"

"Rear Admiral Rizzo." I winced before I could stop myself, and saw her nod. "Yeah. They're the break on my authority, or at least supposed to be. Last thing the brass wants right now is another alien-loving Specture prioritizing the Citadel over the Alliance."

I felt my upper lip twitch at the old argument. "Never-mind that's what the job actually _is."_

"Yeah, well... as far as they're concerned I exist to clean up the Alliance's dirty secrets without any red tape getting in the way." Ash shook her head tiredly. "If you want to say you told me so, feel free."

"I won't."

Her eyes closed as she sighed again, "Well... yeah. Apart from James I wasn't allowed to pick out my own crew, and I had to fight tooth and nail just to get him. Pretty sure the AIS is reading all the mail coming off the ship, and it's been made abundantly clear by the brass that I need to remember which oaths I took first."

Grimacing, I glanced at her and tried to inject some levity, "Well, at least now I'm not the only one who knows that feeling."

Ash snorted, "Honor I could have done without... to be honest, one of the reasons I said yes when you called was because the last thing I wanted was to have to deal with the Council riding my ass on one side while Rizzo screams at me about letting," She made air quotes like Sparatus would have, " _Alien mercenary scum_ defile a Human world."

I couldn't help but smile a little, "Sounds fun."

"So much fun." She replied, "But hey, you'll be stuck doing it soon enough too. Bet they'll have all kinds of questions for you about what you've been doing, where you've been."

And just like that, the levity was gone. "Ash..."

A hand rose, "Shep, I'm not saying it to be a bitch, I'm saying it because you really need to start preparing for that moment. I can order the crew to not talk about who you are, but I think we both know how well that would hold. The Alliance is going to find out, and when they do, there's going to be a recall order. They'll stick you in front of a million cameras and demand answers... and I don't think they'll buy the coma and revived story."

Which was correct. The doctors would probably back me up, once they had a time to see how much of a cybernetic zombie I was on the inside, but by that point the public and political damage would be done. And, if half of what she'd told me was true, I couldn't go with my original plan of framing the whole thing as a top-secret Council operation that had gone wrong. That would just play right into Harper's hands and drum up even more anti-Citadel support.

"I can't turn myself in." I spoke quietly, "Not until this is done. People are dying, Ash."

"Yeah." A hand stretched across the space between us, and I reached out to take it, feeling her strong fingers squeezing mine. "I wouldn't either, just... warning you, I guess. I don't want to be sent out to hunt you down. Still not apologizing for decking you, or accepting your apology... but it is good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." I replied, squeezing back before we both let go. "Even with a bunch of kids running your ship, it's damned good to be on an Alliance ship again."

"I can imagine." She smiled, leaning back in her chair, "Help a girl out, give me some details? AIS is all over me about some team that vanished on Omega last week, were supposed to infiltrate your _friend's_ place. He kill them?"

I considered that, settling back as well. "He probably would, if he found them. Guy is a territorial, paranoid asshole, he wouldn't hesitate to drop spies wandering around his territory... but it could have just as easily been Omega. Place is... I don't really words to describe it."

She nodded slightly, "So I've heard. You sure they aren't up to crap? Rumor has it that they just got a whole fleet's worth of refugees from the Hegemony that they're sticking on Novgorod, and ExoGeni is howling about them being on a colony they own the rights to at all."

"Two weeks ago I'd have said I'm sure." I narrowed my eyes as I thought about it, "But... they went into some kind of panic mode right before we left, some crisis they wouldn't talk about. Happened right before Shaaryak and her people showed up. Not sure what it's about, but my bet is Aria did or said something to them."

Ash frowned, "They obey her?"

My left hand rose and shifted back and forth, "Kean doesn't like her, not even slightly, but she owns Omega, and he's got a small city of people to protect... and yeah, he does care about them. Doesn't really care about anyone outside of his borders, but if you're on his turf he''ll go to extremes to protect you."

"He said she had a gun to his head on Horizon." It was her turn to lean forwards, resting her elbows on her knees. "Think he might try and bolt to the Traverse? He'd be trading one crisis for another."

The thought made me frown. I hadn't really considered that before, though I probably should have. It fit with T'Voth's advice about how to predict Kean and the other warlords, especially if he was getting tired of Aria's ability to threaten his life. "Maybe... I'll keep an eye out, see what Liara and the Broker can figure out. You heading back to Horizon after this?"

"El Dorado." She corrected me, "Depending on how the next day or two goes. I'm not jut going to bail on you, and both the SA and the Council will want a report on how all of this goes."

"Mmm, good point." I nodded. "Still leaves us with what to do if the Flotilla starts to fall apart."

A hand rose to rub at her face, "Shep, we've been over this. Quarians and the Geth aren't under Council authority, neither are those pirates. My authorization is only to investigate the disappearances in the Traverse, even as a Spectre I'm pushing things by being here at all."

I considered that for twenty or thirty seconds, then nodded slightly, "I might need to borrow the ship's shuttle in five hours or so, for a routine trip to the surface with my team."

Brown eyes regarded me flatly, then rolled. "Christ... yeah, we'll see if we make that excuse work. Let me go put it in the logs so it at least looks legit, then I want to try and talk you out of your crazy romp around the Citadel idea."

"Thanks Ash."

* * *

 **Codex: Spectres**

 _The popular notion of Spectres as lawless gunslingers, immune to all rules as they swagger around the galaxy having adventures is mostly fiction. For the first part, of the nearly six hundred Spectres currently in service, only a hundred or so are considered 'combat' agents. The remainder are, for lack of a better description, super-detectives and highly specialized researchers, given their extra-legal authority to investigate crimes of galactic significance._

 _Even those Spectres who live in the mold of Saren Arterius or Kaya Shepard do have restrictions. Their protection and ability to ignore galactic and national law are confined to either a regional zone, the context of a specific mission, or even a set amount of time, depending on the Council's orders. Historically the Council is very permissive in all three areas, and are entirely willing to post-date orders if a Spectre can convince them their actions were undertaken on the Council's behalf._

 _The greatest difficulty that most Spectres face is their dual loyalties to their species and to the Council. Many, especially those combat-oriented Spectre, also remain officers in their national militaries, and are forced to constantly decide whose orders take precedence. Legally this is always in the Council's favor, though as always reality is not so neat. More Spectres resign due to stress or pressure from their superior officers than those who die in the line of action._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Mechanical Accelerant V**_

 _Why yes, this is a double chapter, for the first time in a long time. Hoping to resume these moving forwards. Not entirely sure if this will cut the number of chapters in this operation down from six to five, but it may, so, fair warning._

 _Here we get a bunch of personal stuff from Voya, Illyan, and Cie, a look-in at Quarian politics, and a bit of Shep-Ash interaction. Next chapter will see the Normandy showing up just in time for the Quarians to make their decision._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	37. Operation: Mechanical Accelerant V

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Mechanical Accelerant**

* * *

 **Archived Council Logs – Councilor Sparatus' Private Suite**

 _Councilor Udina: Sparatus, you've got some goddamned explaining to do._

 _Councilor Sparatus: Udina, I don't have the time to deal with-_

 _Councilor Udina: I received a report from Spectre Williams telling me that not only is Commander Shepard alive, but that she is undercover on your_ _confidential orders._

 _Councilor Sparatus: ...ah. That situation._

 _Councilor Udina: You don't deny it then?_

 _Councilor Sparatus: To use your own words, I was attempting to mitigate and delay the political shitstorm that the news will cause._

 _Councilor Udina: ...do explain._

 _Councilor Sparatus: If I must... It was to be portrayed in three parts. First, fabricated information would have been created to indicate she was not killed, but rather so badly crippled she needed more than a year of intensive surgeries and recovery. Quietly, so as not to draw attention from her unknown attacker._

 _Councilor Udina: I see where this is going. You'd portray her first mission as the downfall of Cerberus, acting in concert with Spectre Severa in the Terminus, and during that mission she just happened to come across information on the Traverse attacks?_

 _Councilor Sparatus: Essentially._

 _Councilor Udina: That may satisfy Council politics, the others won't believe it but they'll accept it, God knows that Tevos and Valern have Spectres running around on far less savory tasks. If we threaten to bring those up they'll keep their mouths shut. The Alliance, however, is going to explode. She was a hero, a martyr, that Turians were keeping her away from her people will send Terra Firma into collective apoplexy._

 _Councilor Sparatus: What do you suggest then?_

 _Councilor Udina: Bring her here for a full press conference and public Council debriefing, as soon as possible. Get our story straight and published, then send her back to the Traverse under full Council authority before the Prime Minister or the Admiralty can do something stupid._

 _Councilor Sparatus: That would be a mess of epic proportions and you know it._

 _Councilor Udina: I fail to see another solution. The AIS owns Williams' ship, and there was no love lost between Shepard and Mannfeld. He'll find a way to leak the information in the worst fashion possible, at the worst time possible, and we'll lose control of the situation entirely._

 _Councilor Sparatus: ...likely true, I'll make the call._

* * *

 **Silent Witness**

 _Voya'chi vas Xentha_

 **Date:** 12-07-2187

 **Location _:_** _Normandy II,_ Dholen System, Perseus Veil

* * *

Shepard leaned onto the conference table, speaking quietly to the room. It wasn't a full crowd for once, with just Liara and Zorah from her group, Miranda and Kelly for Cerberus, and then Cieran and myself, leaving the room mostly open and thus not nearly as annoying as it would have been otherwise. "To put it bluntly, the situation is a mess. No one is sure who is actually in command of the Migrant Fleet anymore, and nearly everyone is threatening to shoot everyone else they refuse 'lawful' orders. The Geth are, thankfully, staying out of it, but the pirate battle-groups are ratcheting up the tension just by being in system."

Cieran stirred from where he was standing beside me, the pair of us the closest to the door as usual. "According to a friend in the Eclipse fleet they're officially staying to remind the Admirals that they still owe Aria tribute. Unofficially, they're bluffing their asses off and aren't about to pick a fight. If the Quarians decide to make for the relay they're going to get out of the way."

"Doesn't matter." The Spectre shook her head, "Bluffing or not, just the threat of them engaging is causing more problems since its making elements in the fleet want to rally against outsiders pressuring them; it's causing tension in a situation that can't afford much more of that. Tali?"

The tall inbred princess was on Shepard's left, her body moving in time with her words to make her emotions clear. "My father is blaming the entire situation on Admiral Koris, and to a lesser extent myself and the crew of the _Calaruush._ We're all being accused of treason, and therein lays the problem. He can't attack Rannoch without the Civilian Fleet, and he certainly _won't_ do it with Koris as its commander."

Meaning Zorah didn't think that Koris would live up to his promise to abide by the Conclave's decision. Considering that I'd checked Cieran's old will last night, and knew that Koris _would_ in fact do such a thing, that said a lot about the idiot's state of mind at the moment. The stupid _keshin_ was probably living in a deluded fantasy world where the Geth were the cause of everything.

"An Admiral under accusation of treason cannot call the Conclave," The princess continued, "So they're saying his motion to summon it is irrelevant. They're instead calling for a trial of everyone accused on the _Rayya,_ to determine if we're guilty of treason or not."

Miranda sighed, "Allow me to guess, the Admirals are the ones who make that decision?"

"Yes." Zorah's voice was bitter. "My father will have to recuse himself, and Koris obviously won't be able to vote in his own defense, so that will leave Gerral, Auntie Raan, and Xen. We would need two of them to side with us to not be exiled, and even if _that_ happens, we could still have a giant mess if they refuse to respect the Conclave's vote."

The Cerberus woman nodded slowly, drumming a few fingers along the table's wooden surface. "To what degree are we involving ourselves, Shepard? We hardly have the ability to involve ourselves in a conflict on this scale, and any outside interference would likely be taken badly even if we aided Koris in achieving victory."

Shepard exhaled slowly, as if physically pained, "...agreed, which is why we aren't going to let it get to that point. Based on a few information leaks coming off of the _Alarei,_ the plan is pretty simple. They try Koris, Tali, and the crew for treason today, and use that to drum up popular support for the war. Give it a day or two to get everyone ready and hyped up, call the Conclave after that just to rubber-stamp the action and make it clear they aren't tyrants."

"The _Elder_ Conclave." The inbred added detail, "Meaning only those Captains who are flotilla leaders may vote."

Cieran snorted, more or less covering up mine, "Let me guess, all in the Heavy Fleet?"

"More than two thirds of them, yes." Her helmet shifted as she nodded, "The Heavy and Scout fleets are divided into far more flotillas than the Civilian or Science fleets, for obvious reasons, so they have a significant advantage there."

"Which," Liara spoke, her tones resolute, "Is why we aren't going to let it get to that point as Kaya said. Victory in the trial keeps Koris in place, and by definition will have turned Xen and likely Raan away from the war. That would give them all of the political will they need to call the full Conclave and agree to the armistice. Zorah and Gerrel would be outnumbered militarily and decimated politically if they attempted to resist."

"True," Cieran crossed my arms over my chest, "But that relies on you convincing at least one Admiral to change their mind, and for Xen to keep her word. I don't see either of those as likely."

Shepard pursed her lips, "I've got a few ideas on that, and I'm actually going to be heading over to the _Rayya_ soon to find out what I can. I'm still close to a celebrity from what I did in the Geth War, so hopefully I can sound out all three Admirals in question before things get started."

"And..." The princess spoke up once more, her voice both hesitant and wary, "I have a few ideas of my own. My people need... well, we've been living in stasis for nearly three centuries. Too many of them believe anything an Admiral says without thinking for themselves... they have to be shown what the alternatives are, realize what's at stake."

This was evidently news to Shepard and T'Soni, and they both turned to frown at their companion before Shepard spoke up again. "What are you thinking?"

The young woman's hands started to come together, then stopped as she forced them apart, her helmet turning to let her stare at me. "I... need to talk with you, Voya'Chi vas Xentha. Privately."

I blinked in surprise before I could stop myself, my tongue flicking over my lips as my brain tried to translate the babble she'd just uttered into actual words. "...what?"

"I need to talk with you." She repeated, not sounding quite as pathetic the second time. "Privately."

I stared at her for a long few moments, then rolled my eyes. "Not interested."

The inbred's fists clenched tightly. "I _need_ to-"

"I," I interrupted her purely for my own amusement, "Do not care."

Glowing eyes narrowed before flicking to Shepard, who in turn glared at me before turning her own attention to Cieran in a clear request to order me to do it. Cieran crossed his arms, leaned back against the bulkhead, and closed his eyes. The Spectre didn't quite twitch angrily, but it was clear it was taking all of her willpower to avoid doing so. In turn, The unspoken permission made me smirk, and I rolled my head left to right to make my hair rustle loudly, the sound making Zorah tighten up even more.

It was entirely too delightful, and just what I needed considering the events of the last week.

"Chi." Shepard's voice was low and hard, "We aren't asking you to do anything, just to talk with her for a few minutes."

I flicked a hand dismissively and turned my nose up to them both, "That's a few minutes more than I want to spend with a gangly _kolsha_."

Zorah twitched. "I want you to-"

"I don't _care_ what you-"

"-act just like this," she raised her voice to speak over me, "In front of the Admirals at the trial!"

That made me pause and blink, my tongue flicking out again as my brain once more ran right into a damned cliff facing. "...what?"

Her armored chest seemed to heave as she sucked in a breath, "I want to talk about it privately."

My eyes narrowed as I tried to work out what she was after. She wanted _me_ to speak at her trail? And to amuse myself by annoying the inbred elders who'd be running the sham of a trial? She'd implied that she wanted to 'shake things up', to destabilize her people, a Xenthan on one of their precious colony ships would certainly do that much, even if I was in sealed armor. Was I supposed to be some kind of example? A horrifying sight of what they could turn into? Or some kind of moronic, hopeful display of someone who could live outside of a suit?

I considered her for several moments before shaking my head once again, "I am not a thing to be put on display, inbred. I won't be an example."

"That's not what we want." She shook her bucket back and forth, then paused, then seemed to wince. "That's... not _entirely_ what we want. Five minutes of conversation in the lounge, please."

"No." I repeated once again.

Shepard spoke before anyone else could, her voice hard, "Chi, give her five goddamned minutes in the lounge. You can always say no and insult her some more after."

I was opening my mouth to once _again_ tell them to fuck off, then I felt Cieran bump me gently with his elbow. It wasn't much, but it made me grind my teeth together as forced myself to think like he would for a few seconds. As fun as insulting the bitch was, they weren't going to give up on this, or they'd have already stopped pestering me. Better to suffer through five minutes with the princess and _then_ tell her to fuck off than have to keep going in circles for twenty or thirty... and then maybe having to sit through the bitch's speech anyway.

And besides, Shepard had given me permission to insult her when she was done. That had potential all on its own.

"Your five minutes starts now." I informed her flatly, flicking my fingers to start a timer on my omni-tool even as I got my legs moving, heading for the elevator. There was a confused pause behind me, then heavy footfalls as someone moved to catch up with me, her long legs letting her do so with irritating ease.

She said nothing as we moved through the armory, the CIC, and then entered the lift, my finger stabbing the command to drop us down to the crew deck. "Four minutes, twenty seconds."

" _Keelah_ , you're a bitch." Her breath came out hard enough to make her speaker hiss with the sound of it.

" _You_ wanted me to help." I replied with a shrug.

"Admiral Koris wants it." She countered, "I wanted nothing to do with you."

"Well you've got four more minutes of my company to make the _keshin's_ argument for him." I responded as we arrived, the doors swinging open. Her fists tightened up again, but she kept her mouth shut for the short walk to the lounge. While she asked the AI for privacy and for the door to be locked, I settled behind the bar and started making myself something strong.

Once we were in private, she resumed, "Admiral Koris wants you at the Trial to... remind everyone of what we could have if we just settled down and stopped fighting the Geth. That we could live without these stupid suits and masks."

My eyes narrowed, "I told you I'm not going to be put on display just to make some inbred's point... and don't try and guilt trip me into _caring_ if a few million of your kind die. I doubt many of my people would give a shit if your entire race offed itself."

"Because of what?" Zorah spat in reply, "Something our ancestors did? Something _we_ had no control over?"

"You had control." I bared my teeth at her, "Or are your kind _not_ always boasting about having the largest fleet in the galaxy? The Hakar didn't have a _proper_ empire until a century ago, and even then all you'd have had to do was join the Lady's realm as the Antivans and Anderfellians did. You cold have overwhelmed those slaving fucks and ended our torment."

Glowing eyes became slits, "We-"

"And _now,"_ I continued relentlessly, an old anger, the anger of a little girl taught our brutal history rolling out of me before I could even try to stop it, "You've sold yourself to a fucking warlord _anyway,_ and done it to reclaim an empty fucking rock you can't even properly live on. You know what that fucking told my kin? That you _don't give a shit_ about what happened to us, that you _never_ did."

The bitch actually seemed to flinch. "That's what he wants you to-"

I snapped at her before she could continue, "I don't fucking care. You're a bunch of ancestor's cursed cowards, clinging to wrecks of ships and dead dreams like they mean more than your own culture, your own species. The sooner you all die off the sooner the galaxy can realize that _we_ are the real Quarians, and you were just a bunch of pathetic, broken remnants."

The princess fell silent, not showing emotion, and that just angered me all the more.

"Look at you." I sneered, planting my hands on the counter, shaking my head to make my hair rustle. "Thinking you're _brave_ and _noble_ for defying your father. You're a fucking _child,_ you all are. I won't help you, you spineless _keshin,_ and I will never help your pathetic Flotilla."

More silence, more blank staring.

My fingers flexed, scratching the wood as I tried to force myself to calm down, to resist the urge to draw a blade and vent three centuries of rage and pain. Breathing hard, I glanced at my omni-tool, fighting to return my voice to something normal. "You've got one minute if you want to say something, otherwise fuck off."

Zorah just stared at me for thirty full seconds, time that I used to grab a bottle of brandy and a dextro soda, starting to mix the two together. I was ready to dismiss her entirely and call Cieran to see if his presence would help calm me as it usually did, when the bitch did something entirely unexpected.

She reached up, jabbed her fingers on the either side of her visor, and ripped it off.

I felt my mouth part slightly in surprise as her face came into the open. Grey skin that was so pale that I could see cybernetics running along one side of her jaw, and as she yanked the rest of her headgear back, I could see black hair trimmed to little more than a layer of fuzz over her skull. She had well balanced features and a strong jaw, and probably would have been attractive if she'd ever seen real light on her skin, or actually let her hair grow into a proper mane.

As it was, she looked like a gawky, unhealthy teenager who'd gotten her head shaved after a bad bet.

"Is that brave enough f-for you?" She spoke, betraying her nerves in the way her voice quavered.

I regarded her flatly, the surprise having dulled my anger somewhat. "Why?"

Her pert nose flared as she inhaled, her eyes seemingly widening as she did. "...does it buy me five more minutes?"

One of my fingers tapped on the wood as I tilted my head, considering. This hadn't been anywhere in my list of possible situations... the bitch had roused my curiosity, if nothing else. "Depends on what you're going to do with them, princess."

"I..." She inhaled again, swallowed, then pushed on. "Want a drink. And advice... and _keelah,_ stop calling me that."

My finger kept tapping, my claw beating a slow rhythm as I watched her... then I reached over, grabbed a second glass, and started to mix another drink. Zorah walked over to the bar and settled into a stool, her eyes still wild, still looking around as though she couldn't believe what she was doing.

She started to reach for her drink when I finished it, paused, then started to work at the glove of her suit. Systems hissed as she disconnected it, pulling it free, revealing more pale skin and claws trimmed down to nubs. Her look of fascination only deepened when her bare skin wrapped around the cool glass, lifting it so that she could take a small measure into her mouth.

Then she surprised me again by not coughing or otherwise reacting beyond lowering her cup, staring at it, and then lifting it to take a longer pull.

"What part of that rant," I spoke in between sips from my own glass. "Made you think I'd give you advice?"

"Nothing." She said quietly, setting her drink down and looking at her hand, rolling it around. Thick needles were still visible where they penetrated her wrist, ready to pump her full of whatever her suit thought she needed to keep going. "But I'm asking anyway. What would you do?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, "You already fucking know what I'd do."

Zorah closed her eyes, "You wouldn't show up to the trial, and you'd tell Admiral Koris to start landing ships on Haestrom anyway. You'd... imprison or kill my father and the other Admirals when they arrive on the _Rayya,_ to stop them from being able to do anything."

"Obviously." I drew the word out insultingly, channeling a bit of Cieran's caustic humor. "Did you actually want advice or did you just want to babble about crap we both already know? I'm going to start charging you for my services if you don't get on with it."

Her upper lip twitched away from her teeth, " _Keelah_ , you are _such_ a bitch. Why did I think this was a good idea?"

That opening made me smirk viciously, "Three centuries of inbreeding does tend to lead to mental defects."

A muscle in her cheek twitched. "There's less of you than there are of us, that would make _you_ the ones who inbreed."

"Not if you include the Antivans and Anderfellians." I scoffed, "And whatever exiles are smart enough to join us and actually live a real life."

"A real life." She retorted, "Serving a vicious Terminus warlord."

I rolled my eyes at her, "Better three years in her army than a lifetime of servitude to a group of rock obsessed maniacs."

There was a scowl. "You're as obsessed with the past as we are, otherwise you wouldn't hate us so much."

It was my turn to twitch in displeasure. "Yes, but you don't see me giving into my urges to kill every pilgrim I come across. There's a difference between being unstable and being an idiot, and right now your kind are demonstrating that they're both."

She glowered at me, "You just... admit that you're unstable? Just like that?"

I stared hard at her, trying to convey how much of an idiot she was for being surprised, then pointedly took a long sip from my drink rather than reply verbally. Denying that I was mad was stupid, dangerous, and a disservice to Cieran. Without him I'd have been insane, utterly unable to control my urges... that or I'd be long dead.

 _...like the animal you know yourself to be..._

My fist clenched hard around my glass, and I threw the rest of it back before checking the time. It wasn't anywhere close to her second five minute round, but I suddenly wanted nothing more to do with this entire conversation. "You have thirty seconds to actually ask for advice before I leave."

Zorah frowned a little, but blew out a breath finished her own drink before shaking her head a little. "What would a woman of my status wear to a trial like this, if it was happening on Xentha?"

"A _callisho_." I responded flatly. "In the colors of her _vhaka,_ unless you want to declare yourself of no family, in which case you'd wear all white. You'd bear weapons to show your intent to fight the charges, with violence if necessary, and any trophies you've earned to display your status."

Her fingers shifted as she brought her omni-tool up, a quick search bringing up an image of the appropriate attire. "Four and a half hours to get one of these made... I... thank-"

"Don't." I shook my head, the annoyance coming back, "I didn't tell you anything you shouldn't already bloody know, and I'm still not showing up at that waste of time."

"...and you don't care if we all die." She said, reaching down to pick her glove, sighing as she started to pull it back on. "That seems like a horrible way to live your life, even some of your anger is justified, it's millions of innocent-"

"And we're fucking done here." I growled, not about to start a conversation on _morality_ with a stuck up inbred princess. Not when I knew the only reason she'd be bringing it up would be to try and guilt trip me into showing up or at least tacitly helping more than the crumbs I'd given her... and all three of my companions would explode with anger if I drank enough to get me through _that_ conversation without killing her.

Zorah pursed her lips as I stalked around the bar, but made no move to stop me as I slapped at the controls, leaving her to get her mask and helmet back on alone. Stalking the short distance to the crew quarters, I entered to find no one else present, the glow of the ship's core the only light in the room. Mewling in displeasure I made my way to to the bed I shared with Cieran, taking off my boots before curling up beneath a few blankets.

I was bringing my omni-tool up to send him a message when the door slid open, revealing Shyeel's yawning form as she came in. She blinked a bit in surprise at seeing me, then wandered to the room's sole table before dropping into a chair. "Meeting over already?"

"The princess dragged me off to have a private chat." I replied, rolling onto my side so I could see her properly, "It was as aggravating as it sounds."

Shyeel sighed, "Please tell me she's alive."

"Of course she is," I muttered, "Shepard would have killed us if I'd shot or stabbed her."

There was a quiet snort as she rolled her eyes, "Well, look on the bright side; we don't have anything else to do until we get back to Omega."

I hummed in reply, flicking my eyes to the door, "Where's the big idiot?"

"Medical." She replied, "Shifting down a cast size and getting another round of injections. Cieran still up in the meetings?"

"As far as I know." Rubbing my face in the pillow, I tried to get comfortable. I wasn't precisely tired, but I also had no desire to speak with anyone else today. Or at least, no desire to speak with anyone outside our ourselves. "How are the wounded?"

Shyeel rolled a shoulder, "About as you'd expect. Trena is already up and around, so is Vasir even though she shouldn't be. Think they're both in the cargo bay tinkering with crap. Shaaryak is still in bed, still seems like she'll be good long term but she took a lot of damage. Tough bitch."

I felt... conflicted about that. I didn't really want the bitch to end up dead, she was one of us, an older member of the team than even I was, and Cieran would _not_ have handled it well. But she was such an uptight _kolsh..._ and I didn't care for the fact that I couldn't read her at all. She was like a cold, disapproving statue of a Batarian woman instead of being an actual person, and I had absolutely no idea how Cieran could tell what she was thinking.

Or what the fuck he'd seen in her in the first place.

"How are you doing today?" Shyeel asked a few quiet minutes later.

"I'm alive." I reported flatly.

She flicked her attention to me, sighed, and shook her head. "You want me to lay next to you?"

"No, not tired." I pursed my lips, then shrugged, "Pull the table over. Cards or that Human game you found."

The scarred woman nodded, rising and getting to work. A few minutes later I was upright in the bed, the pair of us staring a tiny board, a pile of white stones in front of me, and black ones before her. We took our time, choosing our positions carefully, trying to encircle one another, and more than an hour passed with almost no conversation.

Cieran arrived as I was trying to figure out a way to avoid losing a giant section in the next dozen moves or so, looking tired.

"Who's winning?" He asked.

"Like you have to ask." Shyeel snorted, leaning back as I growled at her, "How'd the meeting go?"

He rolled a lazy shrug, walking over to bat my knee out of his way so he could sit on the bed. "About as you'd expect. Tali said she got something out of you, and also that she's just as sure you'd kill her if you could get away with it."

I pursed my lips, "That sounds about right."

His head shook as he reached up, rubbing at his left temple, "She had to calm down Shepard after that, she wanted to confront you. Think she views Tali as a little sister or something, expect an invite to a spar in the near future."

A grimace stole over my face. I hadn't been all that impressed the first time we'd seen the Spectre alive and in action, but whatever Frankenstein had done to her had amplified everything. She wasn't all that _skilled_ at hand to hand, but none of us could keep up with her regardless. Too fast, too strong, too irritatingly able to take a punch and not give a fuck. Cieran and Lawson were the only ones who could even give her a mild work out, and only because of their own respective skills and upgrades.

I liked a good fight, but being used as a punching bag didn't hold any appeal. "I'll avoid her."

"Probably smart." He sighed as I shuffled backwards, shoving a pillow aside and sitting cross legged. When her merely lifted an eyebrow, I pointed firmly at my legs. The idiot male sighed again, then turned and laid down, using my cross shins as a pillow. "In other news, the trial should be done in six or seven hours. Depending on how that goes, we'll probably be heading back to Omega to figure out what we're doing next."

"Hmm." Shyeel hummed, "Let me guess, sitting around until the old fish's people figure out the IFF?"

"That," His eyes closing tiredly, "Or we get to ride along on the first suicide mission of this campaign."

I blinked and looked down at him, my hands playing absently with his hair. "There another Collector base we don't know about?"

His chin twitched in a negative, "Shep wants to go to the Citadel to talk with Sparatus in person, and to check out a few things Leviathan related. Tevos is apparently acting weird as fuck, and the goddess alone knows what Udina is up to."

"So?" I asked, "That has nothing to do with us."

"No, it doesn't," He agreed, "But apparently Exo-Geni is trying to bring a lawsuit against us for illegal colonization on Novgorod."

"You're fucking kidding me." Shyeel groaned, "Everyone on the colony was _dead_ , if they were the corporate sponsors then they were responsible for security right?"

A pale hand rose and waved, "No bloody idea. I need to call the old fish when we get back and get a hold of whatever contract they were issued, hopefully before someone can make it vanish. That may also necessitate an agent deliver our case to a subcommittee, or even the Council proper."

It was my turn to groan, "They want to use that as cover to slip the undead bitch onto the station, don't they? Disguise her as a bodyguard for Shaaryak."

Cieran grimaced without opening his eyes. "Nynsi can hardly walk Voya... it's either Ayle or its me, we're the only ones that Sparatus _might_ set aside time to meet personally and argue our case. The Benihi case is still settled, and Freedom's Progress never filed a grievance with the Council or the Alliance, so we've got no legal worries."

"Unless a Justicar ends up on station." Shyeel muttered darkly.

"Yes." Cie muttered irritably, "Unless a Justicar is on station. Regardless, Ayle's on Novgorod right not dealing with shit, so we either go there and take her place, we go with to the Citadel, or we use the next week to come up with a better idea."

I closed my eyes, hearing my hair rustle as I shook my head. "I miss the old days... things were so much simpler. We hunted people down, we killed them, and then we got paid."

My lover snorted. "Got a message this morning, that splinter group of the White Tigers are trying to reform. Ghai was thinking of sending Trena's recruits plus our trainee Lancers after them... and I was wondering if you'd want to go with. We'd have to stop there for a few days to repaint the ship and get things settled anyway."

That made me snap my eyes open, my heartbeat accelerating at the very idea, looking down to see a little smirk on his lips. "...who do I have to take with?"

"Preferably me."

The two of us, hunting down idiotic gang members through Omega's lower levels? Stalking them like prey? I shivered and leaned down, smirking as my hair fell over my face to tickle his own. "Consider it a date."

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _(Kaya Shepard)_

 **Date:** 12-07-2187

 **Location _:_** Liveship _Rayya,_ Dholen System, Perseus Veil

* * *

Considering how many drugs and herbal supplements she was hopped up on, I was stunned that Tali was able to walk around, much less argue in her own defense. Then again, evidently being high as a kite had gotten rid of all of her nerves, because she'd made it through about thirty seconds of the opening speeches before interrupting.

"None of you care about the Quarian people!" Tali's hands were planted on the railing in front of her, the pose partly dramatic, partly necessary in helping to keep her upright. She'd added civilian clothes to her suit, all in the dark purple and light gray of her _reik,_ something she'd called a _callisho._ It had broad, billowing sleeves, a loose blouse style top, and an almost ragged looking skirt, leaving much of her suit and armor hidden away.

The other accused had done much the same, the men wearing cloth vests, thick scarves, and loose pants over their own suits, and it was definitely making a statement against the utilitarian equipment that everyone else in the broad room was wearing.

"This useless trial is proof enough of that!" She continued, half-shouting though managing not to slur her words. "You're not accusing us of endangering the fleet, you're accusing us of endangering your war!"

Admiral Gerrel stirred angrily from his lectern, "The accused was not called upon to comment at this time! Be silent or face removal!"

Tali shook her head furiously, almost fell over, then recovered, "I will _not_ be silent! That's all of you want from me, from this! To make us shut up and stop saying things you don't want people to hear!"

"Tali!' Admiral Raan barked from her place in the center of the three 'judges', "Please, wait for your turn to be called."

From the way she stirred, she was about to keep going, and it was only Koris placing a hand on her shoulder that prevented her from continuing. The various Admirals stared at her for a few more seconds, as though making their displeasure known, and then from his place above and behind the others, her father resumed the opening speech and the list of accusations being leveled against the accused.

Beside me near the back of the chamber, Liara stirred and dipped her helmet to tap against mine. We were the only aliens present, and had only been allowed entry as a 'thanks' for the number of Geth I'd killed back during the fight against Saren. Even so, we'd been bluntly told to stay in the back, to keep our mouths shut, and to keep our armor and suits sealed at all times.

"I don't think she's in any shape to be doing this." She murmured. "What was she thinking, taking her helmet off like that? She could have died, she could _still_ die."

"I.. think she wanted to make a point." I replied softly.

Her tone became disbelieving. "To Chi?"

I shook my head, "To herself."

Liara's weary disapproval came through our bond, and I smiled slightly before wrapping my fingers around hers. We sat in silence as Rael'Zorah finished the charges, mostly consisting of endangering the Fleet by conspiring with the enemy, with a few lesser charges of aiding and abetting for the crew of the _Calaruush._ Then he officially recused himself due to his relation with Tali, indicated that guilt would be determined by a majority vote of the remaining three admirals, and invited Admiral Gerrel to begin the questioning.

That one of the Admirals, the _judges_ , was also acting as the prosecution, made my teeth grind a little... and from the way that the packed crowd shifted uncomfortably, this wasn't exactly normal for Quarians either. Which was definitely good for us, as I'd told Koris when he'd arrived. I'd done a lot of questioning in the time I'd had, and I'd realized that Tali's dad had shot himself in the foot.

By refusing to gather the Conclave at all, not even the Elder Conclave, until after the trial, the only people attending said trial were the crew and officers of the _Rayya._ Oh there were a few VIPs from other ships, but they were vastly outnumbered by the locals, most of whom had sounded both confused and uncertain as to what this was about at all. Koris had a middling reputation as a Geth-lover, but also someone who cared deeply about his people and did his best to keep the standards of living up despite the Civilian Fleet being on the bottom of the resource-allocation table, but Tali...

Tali was a goddamned hero so far as most people knew.

She'd fought beside me against a rogue Spectre and his army of Geth, had been recognized by the Council itself for her bravery. Then she'd returned home with reams of data on the Geth, everything we'd learned fighting them, what we had taken from Heretic outposts, and what little Legion would share. _Then_ she'd lead two separate operations to Haestrom in preparation for this war, been badly wounded both times, and most of the marines seemed to consider her the only reason any of them had gotten out alive on either occasion.

Accusing Koris of treason was unusual but not especially unexpected.

Accusing Tali of treason had deeply unsettled everyone to a degree I didn't think the Admirals understood.

Gerrel didn't do himself any favors either. He spent a good ten minutes simply repeating everything that Tali's dad had already said, just in a more militant, macho style that didn't seem to win over anyone watching. I'd spoken with him, much as I'd spoken with others, and come away thinking of him as a soldier's soldier. He probably made a fantastic fighting Admiral, but as a leader of a people... to him, everything was a military problem to be resolved with military solutions.

Tali herself made a few more moves to interrupt only to be held back by Admiral Koris, who seemed utterly content to let his rival keep digging his own grave.

Once he'd finally finished, Rael'Zorah again spoke, his deep voice booming without any help from speakers. "The accused may now speak in their defense."

"Oh?" Koris replied, crossing his arms behind his back. "That is most kind of you, High Admiral _._ Are we allowed to speak the truth or will you attempt to shut us up if we go off-script?"

A rustle seemed to go through the room, as if everyone was tittering but doing so inside their helmets, not letting the sound out. Zorah was too composed to show any emotion in his voice, but the way he waved a hand told me he was already annoyed. "You may say whatever you wish in your defense."

"Then I will begin by asking a simple question." The Admiral turned slightly, regarding each of the others of his rank in turn, "How does establishing peace with the Geth endanger the fleet?"

Gerrel snorted and sounded as if he was sneering, "Because the Geth are inherently untrustworthy! They'll betray us and kill us all, just as they did during the rebellion."

"Will they?" Koris challenged, "You know this for a fact? You've been personally betrayed by the Geth in your lifetime? Seen them break their word, throw aside treaties?"

"They killed billions of our people!"

"And we," Came the retort, "Purged billions of unique programs in retaliation. Did you never bother to ask _why_ the Geth let us retreat? You know the history as well as anyone here, we couldn't have fought off a determined band of Volus pirates, they could have exterminated us easily."

Raan stirred slightly. Of the Admirals I'd spoken with, she'd been the cagiest, the one who'd given me the least. Koris' assertion that she was submissive to Zorah and Gerrel aside, all I'd read from her was that she was tired of this entire affair and wanted it over with. Worse, she'd easily been the best politician of them, avoiding all of my questions to try and determine _why_ she wanted to attack Rannoch... or if she wanted to at all. "Where are you going with this, Zaal?"

Arms spread as he shook his head, "The Geth _chose_ to let us live, decided that _they_ weren't going to commit genocide. Yet here we are, with two Admirals, leaders of our people, saying that _we_ will exterminate a species that merely wants to be left alone! That even talking with them, trying to find a way for us all to live in peace, is grounds for immediate exile!"

Tali's Aunt seemed to wince as as the crowd shifted in extreme discomfort. Koris noted that, seized it, and plowed on ahead, "Look at us Rael, look at your daughter! You always say that we are the rightful keepers of the Quarian society, yet she had to ask an Xenthan psychopath what she needed to wear to an official occasion such as this! You want to build her a house on Rannoch, rebuild the old Federal government, do you even know _how_?"

"He is not a judge," Raan shook her head, "Leave him out of this, Zaal."

" _You_ aren't a judge either, Auntie." Tali spoke up again, still holding onto the railing to stay up, and her voice _was_ starting to slur. "You're an Admiral. Admirals shhouldn't be judging people."

"Miss Zorah," Gerrel said, "Are you.. intoxicated?"

"No." Tali shook her head woozily, "Had to take supplements, antibiotics, drugs. Took my mask off on Shepard's ship. I'm starting to regret that."

A stunned silence seemed to fill the room, even as I rather hoped that Miranda wasn't listening to this. She wouldn't appreciate her _Normandy_ being called my ship.

"Tali." Rael'zorah rumbled, leaning forwards as much as he could from his position. "Why in the ancestor's names would you... someone send for a doctor, at once!"

The marine at the door nearest me promptly dove through it, and I heard him shouting orders before it clicked shut behind him. Tali didn't even seem to notice, instead responding to her father's question, "Chi didn't want to talk with me, kept insulting me, ranting about how we aren't really Quariansh. Had to impress her to keep talking, figure her out more. She's a bitch... but she washn't wrong. We're not... not Quarians."

He shook his head, "Tali, you're drugged, you don't-"

"Look at us." She laughed, but there was something bitter and caustic to it, something that I would never have imagined her capable of.

"We have preserved enough!" Rael snapped, any signs of impartiality gone. " _We_ are the rightful descendents of Rannoch, regardless of what a bone-wearing psychopath might think!"

"Are we?" Tali shook her head, "Are we, father? They're sadistic... and crazy, but they remember more. Then there's ush... We're more like machines than like people... Geth have more life than we do. All of us just focused on making it to tomorrow alive, fixing our old shhipsh, not actually living. Just doing the same thing over... and over... and over."

That seemed to make him snap, "That is why we _must_ retake Rannoch! So that we can have a home, so we can end this exile!"

Tali shifted, almost staggered, then asked, "Why Rannoch?"

Another period of absolute silence fell before Raan found her voice, "Why... Rannoch? What do you mean?"

Unfortunately that seemed to be the end of Tali's endurance, and she could only shake her head. Koris moved beside her, letting her lean on him as he continued on in her staid. "Why Rannoch, Shaala? Why not Haestrom? Zekkes? Valrush? If I dropped you on any of those planets, could you tell the difference between it and Rannoch?"

More unconformable shuffling filled the room, but Raan retaliated at once, "Of course. Reclaiming Rannoch is the difference between our grandchildren being able to live without these suits, and generations of adaptation."

"The Lady Warlord still possesses the old archives." He seemed to sigh, "We could buy them easily enough and you well know it. How many thousands, how many millions of us would die taking Rannoch back, Shaala? How many grandchildren will be alive to see a sunrise without a mask?"

Raan said nothing, but bowed her head slightly, as if physically pained by the question. Gerrel gave her what looked like a sharp glare, then turned his attention to the silent Admiral at the other end. "Xen, you haven't said anything."

I glanced at the last woman and tried not to grimace. My... _talk_ with her had been interesting, and not in a good way. She had the same mad scientist vibe that Mordin gave off, but without any of Mordin's ethics. To her, the Geth were little more than annoying pets that didn't have the grace to stop moving long enough for her amuse herself by vivisecting them. She was against attacking Rannoch not because she cared about the ramifications of killing a species, but because she thought the fight too easy to lose... and more annoying, something that distracted from her experiments.

Daro'xen shrugged, "What is there to say? This _trial_ is both a sham and a waste of time. Koris may be a bleeding heart who thinks that machines somehow have rights beyond what we gave them, but he _is_ correct in his realization that trying to retake Rannoch back is not worth the risk. Without the pirates aid we have no greater than a sixty percent chance of succeeding."

"Xen!" Zorah all but spat, "Military concerns are not a part of this trial!"

The woman spun on a heel and stared hard up at him in return, "You're trying an _Admiral_ for treason, fool. If Koris is attempting to keep you from martyring us all by reaching an armistice with the Geth, I feel obliged to assist despite our different politics. Fight the Geth in another three centuries, when we actually have the numbers or allies to win such a battle."

His fists tightened, but he seemed to hold his temper in check. "...we have wandered far from the subject of treason."

Koris spread his hands, "Nothing I have done put any member of the fleet in serious danger. Every member of the _Calaruush_ volunteered for the mission and knew the danger, as did Tali'Zorah. Our attempt to broker a peace with the Geth was an effort to save countless Quarian lives."

The two men stared at each other, then Rael tipped his head slightly, "Do the accused have anything further to say before judgment is given?"

Tali was clearly down for the count, and Koris shook his head. The assembled crew behind him simply stayed silent as well. After a few moments, Zorah nodded, "The tribunal will now render their decision. Admirals?"

Xen and Gerrel both flicked their fingers more or less instantly, then turned to stare at Raan, who still stood with her head lowered. She remained like that for more than a minute, and once again Tali's father stirred.

"Admiral Raan," Mixed anger, irritation, and something darker colored his voice. "Your vote please."

She seemed to suck in a slow breath, "Treason and exile are rather final, Admiral Zorah. I must think on the matter carefully."

"It is not complicated." Gerrel growled, "You either think they betrayed the fleet by conspiring with our enemies, or they didn't. Decide."

"I will decide in my own time, Admirel Gerrel." There was something hot in her voice when she replied. "Not yours."

The man rocked back on his heels as if he'd just been slapped, but he kept his mouth shut as she lowered her head once again, occasionally tilting it back and forth as if debating with herself. A good ten minutes of silence followed, the only sound the rustle of the crowd. The door beside me opened at one point, admitting a doctor who quickly darted to where Admiral Koris was holding onto Tali, using his omni-tool to check her suit's readings after getting her laid out on the deck.

After the fifteen minute my patience and worry snapped, and I stood up, Liara quickly moving to follow. The marine near the door moved to block me, and I hissed at him through my helmet.

"Tali is a member of my crew, and she's sick." I informed him shortly. "I'm going to check on her."

He shifted a little, "Ma'am, please-"

I moved forwards until our boots were nearly touching, entirely in his personal space, "I'm going to check on my friend. Move or I'll move you."

The marine wilted and backpedaled. No one else made to stop us as we moved down the narrow path between bodies, mostly I thought, because everyone was on edge and entirely focused on Raan. The sole exception seemed to be Zorah, who was as focused on Tali's prostrate form as I was.

"How is she?" I asked the moment I was close enough, careful not to get in the medic's way.

"She overdid it on the drugs." He replied without turning around, "Did your ship's doctor prescribe it or did she self-medicate?"

"Self." I replied, "I don't think she wanted to bother the doctors."

The man growled a little, "Typical young woman... her suit is already distributing more chemicals into her blood to try and even things out, but it's also trying to fight off her reaction to taking her mask off. Your ship have a clean room?"

I frowned inside my helmet, "There's an isolation unit in medical, why?"

"Airlock is closer than our own facilities, and easier to get to without clearing several halls worth of people." He replied simply, "We have to get her out of her suit before it over or under compensates and kills her."

"Liara?" My bondmate was already bringing her omni-tool online, contacting Miranda and telling her we needed medical prepped. "We'll need a stretcher to move her."

That made Tali stir slightly, "Strech... no, fine. I can walk."

"Miss Zorah, you're high on two different herbal immuno-supplements that you _really_ should not have mixed." The doctor easily stopped her from trying to get up, "Please stay still."

Tali tried to rise anyway, and I reached down and held her in place without any real effort. "Tali. Stop."

My voice got her to cease her efforts... that or she just ran out of energy. Either way she went limp, though her breathing remained even and the doctor didn't sound any alarms. A few minutes later a couple of medics showed up with a stretcher, and we got her onto it at about the same time that Raan finally came to a decision, a soft chime sounding and drawing everyone's attention back to the Admirals.

Rael'Zorah stared at his lectern... and said nothing. He went on saying nothing for long enough that the crowd started to rumble audibly, not bothering to contain their impatience. Shaking himself slowly, he reported the results, "The... Admiralty Board has dismissed the charges of treason against Zaal'Koris, Tali'Zorah, and the crew of the _Calaruush."_

Quarians evidently didn't applaud, but there was a great deal of stamping of feet and low roar of approval.

"The charges of dereliction of duty by select members of the _Rayya'_ s crew well be handled by this ship's Captain." He continued, his voice flat. "This trial is adjourned."

And with that he turned away, not so much as looking at his prone daughter, and departed out of a concealed door. Gerrel gave Raan what I thought was a vicious expression, then turned and followed the other man. Tali's aunt stared after them, then reached over and touched Xen's arm, motioning for her to follow. The two descended from the platform, the mad scientist collected Koris and all but dragged him to a corner, while the last Admiral moved to stand over Tali as the medics heaved her up.

"Tali." Her voice was exhausted, as if _she_ had been the one on trial.

"Auntie." Her niece replied, "Thank you."

The woman stared down, the tilt of her eyes almost sad. "...you're welcome. Go, Shepard, take her to your ship and treat her. We will... discuss her position in the fleet later, I doubt that Han will desire her to remain on the _Neema_."

While Liara moved to guide the doctor and medics to the _Normandy,_ I regarded the Admiral. "Will this stop the war?"

"I don't know." She replied, her voice lowering to something almost inaudible. "I don't know Shepard. Rael and Han won't give up, not after this, and Zaal... Zaal has always been too hopeful, too optimistic for his own good. A Conclave is as likely to vote for war as it is to vote for peace."

Something in her voice told me more than she was saying. "... you still want to fight, don't you?"

"If there is a way to avoid fighting for Rannoch, I will of course accept it at once." Her head twitched left to right, "But in a way, Xen and Han are both right. Geth are not people, not organics. Saren and Sovereign seized control of them before... they could do so again. If your assertion that they are returning is true, the Geth are a threat that must be dealt with."

"They can defend themselves." I retorted.

"You're certain of that?" She pressed, her voice still very quiet. "So certain you can risk seventeen million lives upon it? When they could not even defend themselves against their own kind?"

I... kept my mouth shut after that, suddenly realizing that I wasn't dealing with a weak willed individual at all. She, unlike any of the others, was considering _all_ of the angles, _all_ of the consequences, and it was exhausting her. Worse, her fears weren't exactly unfounded. All we had to go on was Legion's assertion that the Geth would fight the Reapers and wouldn't fall victim to them once again... this right after the True Geth had forcibly overwritten a good portion of the heretics, effectively mind-controlling them.

If it could be done once, it could be done again, and if they settled on Haestrom... they would be on the front lines. It would be a fight they would have more allies in, perhaps, but a fight where thousands or millions of Quarians could die regardless.

"I think you made the right decision today." I found my voice as my thoughts sorted themselves out, "Exiling Koris and Tali would have made a mess of things, and at least now you have an even balance between the two points of view."

"Perhaps." She said simply. "If you could, please take Tali with you when you depart, and keep her safe."

I frowned, "You don't want her here?"

Raan shook her head, "Tali is... has become an important symbol to many, but she isn't ready for that burden. She is too young, too emotional, and right now fiery passion is not what we need. Logic, projections, and probabilities are more likely to sway the captains of the Conclave than rousing speeches."

"They worked here." I pointed out. "Didn't they?"

Another shake of her head. "This was an unusual and uncertain situation, filled with people who supported her already. Those at the Conclave will want hard facts presented concisely to know how to best represent their crews' interests... and having any aliens around at all will likely confuse the situation further. I will be asking the Steel King and the others to depart with the Black Fleet while we debate as well."

My arms crossed as I exhaled, "All right... but I think you should call her, when you can."

"Have her call me, when she awakens." Raan said instead, "I will make time for her, I always have."

"Unlike her father?" I guessed.

The Admiral of the Scout Fleet turned away, speaking as she moved to follow Xen and Koris, probably to discuss what would come next. "Do not judge Rael harshly, Shepard. The man bears wounds that cannot be healed."

"Parents should care for their children." I responded quietly.

She didn't answer, just continued walking. I watched her leave, sighed, and then turned to head for the _Normandy..._ wondering all the while if any of these people would be alive this time next week.

* * *

 **Codex: Arcturas**

 _Arcturus station is one of the most important strategic choke points in the galaxy, for the simple reason that whoever owns it can isolate Sol from the rest of the Systems Alliance. As eleven of the Alliance's twenty billion citizens still live on Earth, a full blockade of this relay would, in a single stroke, nearly remove the Human race as a strategic factor._

 _The station that would become the SA's government complex was built with a defensive purpose in mind, and the entire solar system has become little more than an armed camp. At least one full Alliance fleet is present at all times, supplementing the station's own considerable defenses. In addition to its powerful element zero cores powering overcharged shield networks, the core station is surrounded by a dozen additional battle stations that are effectively battle-cruiser sized mass accelerators._

 _Six additional such stations, supplemented by massive asteroids fitted with hangars, defensive guns, and repair facilities orbit the systems' two outgoing relays. As a second fleet is stationed above the Earth at all times, reinforcements are mere minutes away, and classified battle plans indicate that the Alliance believes defending Arcturus is equally as important as defending the home-world._

* * *

 _ **End Operation IV: Mechanical Accelerant**_

 _Not quite the cataclysmic everything blows up end to most operations, but wheels continue to spin throughout the galaxy and our protagonists have to deal was best they can. So, Tali isn't technically exiled but still isn't sticking around, Shepard is wanted on the Citadel for media day, and Cieran and Voya would just as soon find any excuse to not care._

 _We'll have a couple of interludes to set things up for the next operation, which itself will heavily start balls rolling to be resolved in AR:VII... once that's done, we'll be entering the final act of this particular story._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

AngelForm - First, because the situation has changed. The Traverse has grown more dangerous as smaller pirate groups leave the Terminus for the Traverse, and the Admiral wants to make sure they're going into colonies invited rather than simply showing up. Second, because Ash is Ash, reclaiming her family legacy and serving the SA honorably is a huge part of her personality. Third, because for combat agents you're not likely to find many people with the required skills outside of military organizations. Further, letting them stay in said military also gives them a wealth of advantages.


	38. Interlude XII: The Reformation

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude XII: The Reformation**

* * *

 _ **Silver Queen**_

 _(Ayle ul Massa)_

 **Date:** 12-14-2187

 **Location:** Temporary SBC Headquarters, Novgorod, Yekaterina System, Deep Traverse

* * *

I stared at the faces filling the room, and felt my pride swell. After years of building, planning, expanding... of having to bow my head and perform the pragmatic action of placing Cieran in command while I learned, studied, and prepared... it was finally time to begin the transition.

Today, it was I who stood at the head of the table, in the Director's position, while Cieran lounged in the chair to my right, the man looking all as happy to be there as I was to be here. Inexplicable, yet so very Cieran. I felt my body shift to show my fond amusement as my lower eyes flicked over him, noting the _chehala_ already burning his pipe and the relaxed slump to his shoulders. I still had no idea just what drove his aversion to personal power, especially as his own species seemed to covet it as much as my own... though they tended to be pointlessly indirect about seizing it.

I liked to give him credit, and call it simply a man knowing his own limitations and desires.

Splitting my attention, I did a quick sweep of the room as Trena T'Laria entered, the short woman quickly moving to sit beside her bondmate.

Cieran, smoking and content on my right. Joa T'Voth beside him, sipping from a beer and teasing the human male about their past sexual relationship, while Ven ul Thusan focused all of his attention on his tablet and the numbers he adored. Nynsi Shaaryak, whose change of heart I did _not_ trust sat on my left, clearly trying to tune out what Joa was saying through sheer force of will. The two T'Laria sat silently together, their hands hopefully entwined beneath the table and not engaged in... other pursuits. Idas Kithan was lounging beyond them, her mandibles splayed in a relaxed smile, clearly happy to be off of Redcliffe and amongst old friends.

And then, at the other end of the table, Shepard and Lawson, their uniforms clearly making them stand out. I was not entirely pleased with their presence, but given that the latter had worked out just what our political crisis was, and the fact that we still had to work with them, politics demanded we continue to seem open and transparent about our actions.

Most of them, at least. A second set of meetings would naturally occur once they were gone.

"We will begin by getting the obvious out of the way," I began, not seeing any point in delaying now that everyone was present. "Per the prior agreement with Cie, and with his approval, I will be assuming the Directorship of our corporation as of today."

There was a mildly surprised shift from both guests, Joa, and Ven, but neither of the T'Laria, Shaaryak, nor Idas looked as if this was news to them.

"He will resume his post as Executive Commander of Omega, and will further maintain control over our Lancer and Nightblade teams for the duration of our operation against the Collectors." I dipped my head neutrally towards Shepard and Lawson, "He will also liaise with our allies in that matter and have authority to command any assets he believes necessary for the mission."

Trena grunted from where she was sitting, sparks flying as she lit her own pipe, "How long you doing that for, ape?"

"Until the Collector business is done with." He replied, exhaling a plume of white smoke as he did. "Then I'll be putting Chen in command to oversee the evacuation of Illium Minor, assuming it's not done with by then, and taking a vacation."

The short Asari's eyes narrowed, "Who the fuck is taking the commandos while you're out?"

Cieran smirked, "Guess."

Lips twisted unpleasantly around her pipe, "...Athame's ass, I fucking knew it."

"Moving on," I cut in, knowing better than to let the pair of them start. "Our primary focus must be the shift of all of our assets from the Terminus region to this world. That will also necessitate a complete overhaul of our organization and a great deal of new contracts will be required to maintain a flow of income. Ven?"

The handsome young man cleared his throat as he used his omni-tool to activate the conference table, tables and graphs of our finances appearing before us all.

"As you can see, we are no longer stable given the loss of the Redcliffe contract." He showed his irritation in his posture, as if he was taking Aria's assault on our income as a personal affront. "Further, while Lady Shaaryak brought a great deal of hard currency from the Hegemony and badly needed assets in terms of establishing ourselves here, it will be anything but cheap to relocate the populations and equipment slowly and covertly as Direc... as Executive Commander Kean originally intended."

Joa shook her head, for once wearing her full uniform, and set aside the beer she had been indulging in. "Doing so quickly is going to alert everyone about what we're up to. Sederis will flip out, and Aria won't be happy about losing Illium Minor as a hostage against our behavior."

"No," Shaaryak replied, her damnably smooth voice cutting in. Her teal skin was wan, and a cane rested beside her chair, but her posture was sharp and her speech clear. "Not if we trade her Redcliffe _back_ in exchange for allowing us an out."

Our Admiral blinked. "She just fucking gave it to us! Why in the goddess's bloody azure would she take it back?"

"She gave it to us as a bribe." I answered, "Something that we would be chained to, something she thought _I_ would allow us to be chained to. Abandoning the world instead leaves a power vacuum she cannot afford in that region."

"Further," Shaaryak added, "The deal will hopefully resolve several of our problems, if I may?"

Ven bowed his head in submission, and she took over the projection, adding the new contract that she and Cieran had negotiated during their brief stop on Omega.

The terms were rather simple, being little more than a modification to our prior deal. She would receive Redcliffe to do with as she chose, we would _not_ haul away everything that wasn't sealed to the ground, we would not take any civilians not related to our soldiers off world when we left, and her people would be given 'vacation rights' to Novgorod for the next twenty years. That tied in to our own return, where she would allow us to entirely evacuate Illium Minor and re-establish it here, she would assist in towing Redcliffe's old station and shipyards here and help repair them, and would sell us other necessary construction equipment at a moderate discount.

Lastly, we would again re-affirm that we side with her should any conflict arise between Omega and the Eclipse. Aria would likewise defend our independence from Sederis, but _only_ from Sederis. If anyone else decided we would be ideal vassals or ideal corpses, we were on our own.

Our head Administrator nodded slowly as he finished reading, his upper eyes shifting to me. "That will resolve a great many our short-term issues, evacuating Illium Minor in a few bulk convoys instead of over time would be far less of a strain financially, but long term... what will our new focus be?"

I exhaled threw my teeth, the whistle slow and contemplative. "I'm not going to insult any of you by stating that this will be easy. The Lady Warlord has indicated that she will continue to support us, and will offer contracts if required, but that does not change the fact that the Traverse is not the Terminus. We will have to deal with a large number of forces we have, until now, largely been able to avoid."

Shepard stirred in the far corner, "The Council and Alliance?"

"Yes." I dipped my head politely, "As well as the Hegemony, the Union, corporate interests, the several dozen pirate lords attempting to assert their own kingdoms... you get the idea. To ensure our survival, we will be operating in three axis; political, military, and economic. Cieran, the political concept was yours."

The man sighed, removing his pipe so he could speak clearly, "Our main goal should be to replicate the balancing act we ran between the major warlords, make ourselves too useful to attack directly. Relocating Illium Minor will be part of that, setting ourselves up as a... tourist location for anyone with the proper funds."

"A new Illium?" Trena exhaled smoke through her nose, "Could see that working, lot of rich assholes who might not want to make the trip all the way around the core."

"That's one reason." He tipped his head, "But also to set ourselves up as a kind of neutral party, an available arbiter in the region. A place where we could assure the peace of any groups that need to negotiate but don't exactly trust each other. Above all we don't want to appear threatening or expansionist so that the Council doesn't have a reason to shit all over us."

The Spectre narrowed her orange flecked eyes. "Aren't you going to be expansionist?"

Sacred Pillars... "Yes, to a degree." I responded, "We must be if we are to find the income to pay all of our people, but we will not be stupid or invasive about it. Once she is healed, Shaaryak will be undertaking a diplomatic tour to Carastes, Pskov, Black Spire, Brahk'shan, and others in order to offer our services."

Lawson's lips twisted, as if the woman had just bitten into something rancid, "You want to set up a protection system, where they remain nominally independent but where you control the military power."

I fought the urge to tilt my head to the right. She didn't care about the politics of it, she was just upset that we would be moving to secure several of the Human world that _she_ wanted to offer protection in the long term.

"It will be a mutually beneficial partnership." I replied, my voice flat. "And we will be restricting our offers to those worlds within two relays of Novgorod, staying within the Deep Traverse so as to avoid Council entanglements as much as possible."

"That," Her head shook, "Will be difficult, given that this is a corporate world lawfully sold by the Council's Exploration and Expansion Board. Do you have a plan for that?"

Idas stirred, her flanging voice bemused, "Council precedent allows for refugees to claim an uninhabited world regardless of technical ownership, the Batarians and slaves from the Hegemony surely qualify. Then there's the whole pirates being allowed to use the system by the colonists, the fact that ExoGeni didn't protect them as stipulated in their contract with the Council, and the fact that they're trying to cover up the fact that everyone here died... they're trying to spin it as us invading and enslaving everyone."

Lawson tilted her head, then frowned and nodded, "They aren't so stupid as to believe that will work, or be unaware of your own information. Have they made you a settlement offer?"

"They have, provided we are willing to bankrupt ourselves they would _graciously_ allow us control of the colony." I didn't bother hiding my dark amusement, Pillars but it had felt _good_ to see that stuck-up monkey reel when I'd laughed at their proposed 'compromise'. "I rejected it out of hand and informed them of our reserved time with Councilor Sparatus on the Twenty-Eighth."

That made Shepard snort, and for a brief moment I caught something resembling approval in her expression before she cleared it away.

"Returning to the military subject, we will be reforming our ranks and staffing system." I fought the urge to grimace at the concept of how many meetings _that_ would take, "Primarily we be shifting away from individual regiments and more towards brigades as our core unit, likely mixing the various regimental types to ensure balanced formations. Joa, your fleet will need to be reorganized as well."

"Understandable." The Asari replied, "But I don't think we should do shit until we have a better idea as to who is going to sign up for our protection."

I tilted my head in agreement, "For now, assume that we will be pairing up our heavy and light cruisers in one to one pairs, with escorts. Yourself and Jun will need to determine how to proceed with larger formations when required."

"We'll figure something out." She assured me, "Bigger problem will be how long it takes to get a full star-port working. Losing Sederis means losing Illium's docks, and I doubt we'll want to have much to do with Aria, so we're going to really fucking limited to where we can do repairs."

"Quite." I exhaled through my teeth sharply, that had already occurred to me, and was my principle worry even against the Council. The engagement at Cronos Station had showed me just how fragile a war fleet could be, how quickly something so magnificent and expensive could be suddenly damaged nearly beyond repair. Given how much of the _Reliant_ had been scrap metal after the fight, I was half convinced that a Paragon of the Pillars had been personally watching over Joa and Cieran in that affair.

If we were going to pull this off, if my long term plans beyond the Reapers and Leviathans were to amount to anything, we needed a safe harbor. Our lighter vessels could land on the surface easily enough, but only a few of our cruisers were capable of such a thing... and they were our principal asset just as Joa was to become my premier subordinate, much as she had been Cieran's.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I allowed my body to display cautious optimism, "Provided the political agreements work out, and the military contracts are created, our financial affairs will resolve themselves. Ven, you will continue to work on concepts for sub-contracting our cargo ships as well as establishing a more standardized catalog of prices for our services."

"Yes ma'am." He tilted his head deeply to the left. "May I request that Ruza and her team are moved off of Redcliffe soonest? Having my full staff would be preferable given everything we have to manage."

I narrowed my lower eyes in thought, "Yes, but task her with the colonial construction, have her work with Shaaryak's staff. Focus primarily on the evacuation plans and immediate financial situation."

The young man bowed again, and I flicked my gaze between everyone while also checking the time. "We will call that as lunch for now."

"If I may," Shepard spoke before anyone could move, "What are your special forces groups going to be doing in the future? You hardly need them for colonial defense contracts."

I shifted my head to the right as I regarded her, "Internal security and policing, primarily. Pirate hunting and assassinations of the same, if we do not feel that a full reprisal is necessary."

It was far harder to read her than to read Cieran, but from the way her eyes narrowed and her lips drew back she didn't believe me in the slightest. Which was intelligent of her, of course, but I had no intention of telling her of what uses I had in mind for our elite outside our future borders. Such things were absolutely _none_ of her business.

"Lunch." I announced simply, waving a hand towards the door. "Shaaryak, Joa, return in two hours for further discussion."

There was a muted rumble of appreciation for the short meeting from everyone but Shepard, guests, subordinates, and friends standing and departing in good order. The sole exception was Cieran, who remained in his place even after Joa had been the last one out. She had barely cleared the door before Voya had prowled in after her, the Quarian slapping the controls to shut it before stalking around the table and taking the seat beside her lover.

She was... doing better, it seemed. Their stop on Omega to participate in our preemptive strike on the White Tigers and their little coalition had done quite a bit to cheer her, if I was reading her correctly. Cieran had probably let her indulge in her more vicious tastes for once... but even so, she'd hardly left his side since they had landed five days ago. And, just like now, she almost immediately returned to him on those rare occasions where they were separated on professional duties.

That did worry me, somewhat. I was fond of her, in a way, but her loyalties were to Cie, and her stability had been in question for as long as I'd known either of them. If he died, and she survived, there would a great and spectacular mess that I would probably be stuck handling.

I watched as she sat, leaning over to rub her cheek against the fur around his mouth, then settled back in my chair, "Thoughts?"

Cieran returned Voya's affection, brushing the back of his fingers against her chin, then glanced at me through a haze of _chehala_ smoke. "Went well. Nice, fast, concise. I know giving Joa a lot of room to work isn't easy for you, but I think it's important."

I felt my body shift to show my chagrin, "Was I that obvious?"

"To me, maybe to Idas." He smiled slightly, tilting his head to show that he meant no offense. "You stopped yourself from going into detail fairly quickly. Ven will probably appreciate the hands on management a bit more, he was never comfortable that I didn't give him much direction."

"I've already noticed." I replied, "I am more concerned with Joa, and I still do not like that you gave Shaaryak such a critical position."

Cieran spread his hands in an Asari motion, asking what else he could have done.

That made me grimace. "She may be the most qualified diplomat we have, but she will get over her shame and seek to expand her power base sooner rather than later and we both know it."

"In which case," He shrugged, "You can either fire her or make her our official ambassador to the Lady."

"Or Cessa." Voya spoke, glancing at me and confirming that she'd been listening into the meeting despite not being present. "Your avoidance of her name was hardly subtle."

I rolled all of my eyes, "I am not a subtle person, if our _guests_ wish to pick at what I did and did not say, they are free to do so on their own time. The Lady has little need of what industry we'll be able to setup, Cessa _does."_

Cieran worked his pipe around for a moment, "You think we'll be able to start up arms manufacturing without the equipment from Redcliffe?"

"Given what Shaaryak brought and what Aria has now promised, yes." I nodded firmly, "She made no mention of draining our people from Illium, is likely counting on it. I have already given orders for most of Shaaryak's old designers and researchers to be moved, more will trickle out as quietly as can be managed."

He frowned at me, "Ayle, a lot of those corporations are-"

I interrupted him impatiently, "Jointly owned, yes, yes. Only those we own entirely are being shifted, the rest will have to whether Sederis' displeasure on their own."

There was a definite wince, and it was my turn to mimic his Asari gesture, silently inquiring if he had a better idea. After a few moments he shook his head somewhat irritably. "When can we sell the stocks and interests that we aren't moving?"

"As soon as Ven indicates we no longer require that income."

And that moment couldn't come soon enough, in my opinion. Sederis was many things, but a fool wasn't among them. We could probably spin our actions as us escaping Aria's grasp, especially if Aria played along somewhat, but that mirage wouldn't and couldn't last. We would lose direct access to Illium, and Illium's markets, forcing us to rely on Omega's horribly unstable setup in Doru, or perhaps range as far as Noveria.

"Regardless," I pushed on, "Allying with Lady T'Ravt and Cessa will ensure that the Hegemony and Alliance will not dare attack us directly, or at least overtly. We can deal with covert matters."

Cieran rolled a shoulder in a shrug, "You're the boss, your call."

Another surge of pride nearly made me preen at the reminder that Cieran had already defaulted back to being my subordinate, my second in command. The reminder that he would offer advice, poke holes in my plans, and ensure my thinking was sound... but he would obey, he would submit. I once again had other legendary _Reyja'krem_ who would be my living weapons.

"Oh stop it." Voya rolled her eyes, " _Keelah_ you're as bad as that stuck up bitch."

Ignoring the comment, I split my attention between them, "That does remind me, however. Succession remains an issue. I wish you to be the designated heir, or if we are both gone, Idas. Long term we will need a clear path through the sands if what we're building is to last."

The human lifted one of the ridges of fur above his eyes, "Sounds like you have decisions to make then."

" _We_ have decisions to make, Executive Commander." I replied sharply. "Remember, you only have yourself to blame for giving the Director's power to me."

He glowered at me, not at all happy to have his oft-repeated words thrown back at him... then he snorted, smiled a little, and shook his head. "Fair point. You want me to come up with some kind of documentation?"

"Preferably whenever you return from the Citadel." I dipped my head, "Do you still intend to depart tomorrow?"

"Voya?" He prompted, glancing at her.

She twitched her chin in a nod, "The _Normandy_ has been repainted in our coloration, Spectres Vasir and Williams are prepared to depart. We're just waiting on Spectre Severa and last we heard she is on schedule to arrive tonight."

"There we go then." Cieran drummed fingers onto the table, puffed once on his pipe, then nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow, be on the Citadel by the twentieth... meeting with Sparatus eight days later, hopefully won't take more than a few days to figure out what ExoGeni will be doing. Figure we'll be heading back around the New Year."

I nodded, "Remember, do what you have to do to ensure that the Council regards us as no serious threat, or preferably, as a potential asset and ally. But do _not_ bind us to them in anyway, doing so would kill any credibility we would have with the local populations."

"I know, I know." He shook his head wearily, finally putting out his pipe and setting it aside, "You don't have to repeat it."

"Of course she does." Voya smirked, showing her double set of canines. "You're male, Human, and been struck in the head more than either of us can count. It's a miracle you remember anything at all."

Cieran blinked, then glanced at me, "Did you hear something? Sounded like a short little _keshin_ yelling to be heard?"

"Stop." I tilted my head to the right even as Voya's grin turned into an angry snarl, "No fighting in the conference room, I don't have anyone to bet with."

Voya blinked her large eyes, then twitched her chin towards the door, "Shyeel is reading outside."

I considered that, glanced at the time, then raised my voice. "Shyeel?"

"Five hundred on Voya." Came the immediate reply, "Want me to get you lunch?"

"Eight on Cieran, and yes." I called back before glancing at my friends. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

The Quarian merely glared at me. "Eight hundred on him? Are you joking?"

"Can you blame her? I wouldn't put money on someone as tiny as you-" His legs abruptly shot himself backwards as Voya came out of her chair in a rush, not quite fast enough to avoid her grabbing his legs, the pair tumbling to the floor in a flurry of curses and flying limbs.

I smiled as I rose from my chair, moving a bit towards the door to get a better view even as Shyeel came in to observe as well. The pair of us chatted amiably, enjoying our food once my aides brought it, betting and shaking our heads as Cieran and Voya went through several rounds of combat, neither willing to admit defeat to the other. It was a decidedly pleasant way to start my Directorship... it reminded me of older, better times.

I enjoyed it while I could, the complications and politics would return soon enough.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude XIII: Familial Bonds**_

 _These interludes will probably be a bit on the short side, don't want to occupy too much time with setup before we get on to the Citadel. Here we have Ayle laying the foundation for what she wants to build, and Cieran ceding her his authority as they've both wanted for a while. Next chapter will be from Tali's point of view, and will take place concurrently with this one. There may be one more interlude after that, I'm not sure, but we'll be on the Citadel soon enough._

 _For those that did not see it, the little operation on Omega to deal with the White Tigers was covered in Those Who Fight 7._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	39. Interlude XIII: Family Reunions

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude XIII: Family Reunions**

* * *

 _ **Caged Princess**_

 _Tali'Zorah_

 **Date:** 12-14-2187

 **Location:** Novgorod, Yekaterina System, Deep Traverse

* * *

I hated seeing Chi outside of her armor. Hated the fact that a monster like her could enjoy little things like touching the man she loved, smell real air without filters, eat honest food instead of purified slush, could feel the sun on her skin. Then of course was the way Captain Wheril had acted, going from a calm and collected elder into a hormonal, embarrassed youth just from seeing a woman with wet skin and flushed features with no mask, no suit, nothing to hide what she looked like. A woman with a real mane instead of stubble, whose body was not bare like an alien's, instead covered in exotic white hair.

I hated seeing Chi like that... I'd hated how he had reacted to her, knowing most men in the Flotilla would have done the same. It wasn't that we hadn't seen things like that before, Terminus Quarian porn was... heavily frowned upon but pervasive all the same, but seeing one in person, one who had very clearly just emerged from a bath with her lover had been something else. It had pissed me off more than a little... _keelah,_ she wasn't even all that _pretty._

I hated that... and yet here I was.

" _Keelah..._ I am _such_ a hypocrite." I muttered, sitting on a half-ruined garden wall, looking down into a broad depression where several Blades' soldiers were sparring.

Where several Blades' Quarians were sparring.

Male Quarians.

 _Topless_ men.

I fought down the urge to mewl in appreciation as I watched them move. The larger, more handsome of the pair had natural brown hair, the color darkening on his shoulders and back, his beard a neat trio of braids hanging from his chin and either side of his mouth. His opponent was Xenthan, smaller, more lithe, his snow-white hair rippling over muscles as he batted aside punches and kicks. This was the first time they'd fought each other since I'd started watching, but I'd seen them take on Asari, Batarians, and the one Human who made up this particular unit.

That the two men were obviously sick, obviously still adapting, didn't hurt nearly as much as I knew it should have. I _still_ couldn't stop staring and shifting uncomfortably and _keelah_ I was acting like a-

"Really Tali?" An amused Human woman asked from behind me, "Really?"

I whipped my head around to see Nikita smiling at me, her hands on her hips, wearing a dark set of workout clothing. She'd changed since the last time I'd seen her, sobbing at Shepard's funeral, more than just the cybernetic right arm. Her brown eyes were darker, shadowed, but she held herself with a bit more confidence.

"Nikita." I smiled, grateful for the distraction, turning and hopping off the wall to give her a hug. "It's good to see you!"

"Good to see you too Tali." She replied, returning the affection, "I heard about what happened at the fleet, sorry I missed it."

"It's all right." I assured her, not quite ready to talk about that. Instead I seized on her new arm, stepping back and carefully inspecting it. "Were you getting this fitted?"

She nodded, lifting it so that I could get a better look. "I was. Still doing the strength adjustments, making sure it's all working before they apply the synthetic skin over it. Doctor Solus did most of the work, but the arm itself is from a research lab on Illium that Liara's dad owns."

I hummed, flicking my eyes over the whirring servos and gray bundles of myomer fiber, carefully taking her wrist and checking the rotation. "Whoever made it, they do good work. I was worried they'd give you some kind of hydraulic monstrosity."

Nikita shuddered theatrically, "Right? The surgery wasn't nearly as bad as I worried it would be either, and it's... easier to get used to that I thought it would be. Weird since I can only feel my palm and fingertips, but not too bad."

"You'll get feeling back once the skin is on." I carefully let go, watching as she wiggled her fingers a little before letting it fall to her side. "How's everything else? I've barely seen anyone apart from medbay visits."

My friend narrowed her eyes at me, "Speaking of, Doctor Chakwas sent me to track you down, since _someone_ wasn't supposed to leave medical just yet."

I crossed my arms, "I'm sick of being stuck in different hospitals. Tell her that the suit is applying the medication she prescribed, and that I'm fine."

Nikita lifted an eyebrow, "So you want me to tell her that you're too busy staring at boys wrestle instead of taking your meds?"

I stared at her.

She smiled back at me, "I can tell Shepard too, I'm sure she and Liara would-"

" _Keelah..._ " I felt my face heat up at the very idea. Bad enough that Nikita had caught me, if she started telling everyone... I'd never hear the end of it. "I'll go."

"Good, I'll delete the recording of you drooling."

I growled and elbowed her gently, making her laugh merrily as we turned away and started to head back into the city proper. It was a largely typical Human colony at first glance, with numerous seven or eight story circular towers surrounded by boxy homes, but that was about the extent of the normalcy... the rest of it made me think of Admiral Koris' plans to colonize Haestrom.

Buildings were packed and overcrowded, while great cloth awnings had been thrown up wherever possible to make the numerous Asari more comfortable against the dry sun and heat. What glimpses of the sky I could catch in the gaps above showed that slow moving transport ships were still coming down to land around the city, serving as temporary homes for the thousands of refugees. A glance to the east showed towering cranes already erected, mercenary engineers and administrative groups working furiously to plan out expansions to the city proper so that they could fit everyone.

"This is going to be a big city, when they're done." I murmured as we kept walking, the pair of us scrunched together in the crowded street. I blinked as several Asari darted past, all of them obviously children, giggling as they wove between and around people. "Who are all of these people?"

"Families of their soldiery, mostly." Nikita replied, "They needed a safer place to put them than Illium or Omega, an empty colony out near the Dark Rim seemed ideal."

A little pang of bitterness welled up in my chest, "And people just let them?"

Her head shook, "Not even close. From what I heard, ExoGeni is suing them and some Alliance group is calling for them all to be forcibly evicted. The Horizoners are screaming too, think their government is still trying to blame the SBC for the attack."

That made me feel a little better, if only because it meant they were suffering the same as my people would have if we'd tried to settle on a random planet. "Is that why they're going to the Citadel with us?"

She blinked and glanced at me, "Yeah... no one's really told you much, have they?"

"I've been sick." I reminded her, "And... preoccupied."

"That's... understandable." She replied, her tone softening considerably, her body language shifting from bold, confident strides to something far more relaxed and open. "You doing ok?"

I'd be doing better without the reminder that my friend had two distinct personalities, but I wasn't so tactless as to say that. "I'm... no, not really. My home might tear itself apart, might launch a suicidal attack on Rannoch, and... it's been made clear that neither side really wants me around."

Nikita winced, "Is it that bad? I thought they were going to vote on everything and go with the winner."

"In theory, yeah." I felt my shoulders slump, "In reality? Neither side thinks the other will back down unless the winning side wins _big..._ and the indications are it's going to be really close. So everyone is stalling with pointless procedural stuff while they try and convince more Captains to join their side."

Her nose scrunched up as she thought about that, "So your dad thinks that if he wins by a percentage point or two that Admiral Koris will just take the civilian fleet down to Haestrom anyway, or enough of it to make the attack doomed to fail. And Admiral Koris thinks that if _he_ wins by a percentage point or two that your dad will stage a coup?"

There was a lot wrong with Nikita's head, but her ability to analyze people and situations wasn't one of them. "Pretty much... Auntie Raan says everyone is on edge to the point where fist fights broke out on a few ships, they had to send extra marines to stop them from becoming riots or mutinies."

Another wince crossed her face, "Hell... I'm sorry Tali, it can't be easy for you to be stuck here."

It wasn't, but I quietly murmured my thanks for her support regardless. Compared to her life, even my current status as a partial-exile whose father was becoming a complete _bosh'tet_ was nothing. I could still remember sitting in the escape pod with her and Wrex, watching the _Normandy_ begin its fatal plunge into an ice world, then seeing Nikita's dead eyes as she tried to put her own pistol into her mouth.

So far as I was aware, only Wrex and I knew that she'd been the one to activate the tracking beacon on the ship. Not that either of us really blamed her, she hadn't been aware of what she'd been doing, and I'd had to hold onto her for hours as she sobbed after being told what had happened.

"Are you... getting help?" I asked quietly, making sure to ask as we moved past a particularly loud market where several Turians were evidently selling bottles of liquor.

Nikita was quiet for a few steps, then nodded slightly, "One of their Commanders is a mind healer, and Aria found a bunch of stuff that she sold to the Blades. She might not be able to undo everything but she says she has hope that she might be able to suppress most of it."

"That's good." I tried for cheerful but wasn't sure I managed it, "That's very good."

She gave me a small smile and thanked me, then fell quiet as we continued on our way. It took us a good fifteen more minutes of walking to reach the make-shift command center and its attached medical wing, the former colonial school looming over everything. Ignoring the main entrance, we made our way around the corner and back to the field house. Inside, giant dividers had been lowered to separate it into sections.

Doctor Chakwas was glowering at me even as we entered her little domain, her arms crossing on her chest. "Miss Zorah, I did not expect this kind of behavior from you."

"I'm _fine._ " I stressed the word, "I can see my own vitals on my visor, and they're stable. I know my body."

Silver eyebrows rose, "Like you knew your body before the trial?"

I winced and shut my mouth, wordlessly following her directions to sit on a small cot while she used the password I'd given her to link her omni-tool to my suit's diagnostics. Nikita settled in nearby to watch, smiling a little as the Doctor quickly began to interrogate me as to how I was feeling, if I'd been coughing again, if I had a headache. Once she confirmed that I was, in fact, just fine... she told me to stay until the Detective could escort me back to the _Normandy._

"Now," The Doctor turned to Nikita and made a beckoning gesture, "Let us see the arm for some more strength tests."

Nikita nodded, accepting a small ball, narrowing her small eyes as she carefully squeezed it with one finger at a time. "How's your other patient?"

"Alive and complaining, as usual." She replied, "Miss T'Donna is many things but patient is not among them."

T'Donna... T'Donna... "Who is that again?"

"Illyan." Nikita provided, frowning as she shifted her thumb around a bit. "The giant Asari?"

I vaguely remembered such a person from the bar, all those years ago. "What happened to her?"

Doctor Chakwas sighed, "A Collector weapon badly damaged her right leg in the fight on Horizon, we are working to accelerate her natural regeneration but it is not something that can be rushed. I believe she will be accompanying us to the Citadel but will be remaining on the ship along with the Cerberus crew."

"Oh." Crossing my hands in my lap, I decided to continue into that valley of thought, "Who all is going with from the Blades?"

"Cieran, his team, and his personal aide." Nikita shrugged tossing the ball up and down at the Doctor's urging, "But Illyan won't really be up to wandering around, and I think Shyeel doesn't want to get off the ship either. Some old warrants from her Hegemony days are still around or something."

I blinked, "She's wanted by C-Sec?"

Another shrug, "Miranda Lawson has a multimillion bounty on her head, so she's not exactly alone. Like I said, they'll be staying on the ship and using Shepard's Spectre authority to stop C-Sec from coming aboard to search it."

"Oh." I felt myself frowning, tilting my head a little, "Why come with at all then?"

Doctor Chakwas answered that one, "Paranoia, Tali. With how often things have gone wrong, even the Commander is hesitant to not have them with. While we do not expect anything to go wrong on the Citadel, the potential remains that the false-broker may attempt something. I believe you will also have one of the Blades' Lancer teams with, and Spectre Vasir will linger near the ship to be ready to escort them should they be needed."

"Jack's." Nikita confirmed.

I winced, " _Jack_? She still all...?"

The detective giggled, "Not as bad as you think, she's calmed down a lot, even has an Asari girlfriend."

That made me blink a few times, my mind not really up to the mental challenge of imagining _Jack_ settling down with someone. And with an Asari? She probably had to be one of the hardcore mercenary types...

"Wait." Another thought struck me and my eyes narrowed, "Does that mean that _Chi_ is coming with?"

Nikita's amusement vanished instantly, her expression becoming close to grim as her shoulders once against stiffened, her tones becoming harsher. "...yeah."

I felt my mouth open, my body recoiling to convey my surprise and horror. "You can't be serious. She's a psychopath."

The younger woman shifted her hand back and forth, "Eh, I don't think she's a psychopath so much as she's hyper-violent and easily bored."

I cut a hand across my body, "She admitted that she'd kill me if she thought she could get away with it. You can't let someone like that run around the _Citadel._ "

"Ciarán will be there." She replied, shaking her head once. "She won't do anything without his permission, and he won't let her go wild. After what happened on the Reaper corpse she's pretty much attached to him at the hip, so avoiding her will be easy... and I'll be playing tour guide on the Citadel."

That made me stop and blink, "Tour guide?"

Nikita opened her mouth, closed it, then glanced at Doctor Chakwas. The elder woman sighed, stepping back to lean against a desk, "The closest thing to proper civilization that Kean or any of his people have lived in was Illium, both the Commander and Miss Lawson are nervous about extreme cultural shock."

I could understand that. My pilgrimage hadn't exactly been the most fun I'd ever had, especially in the time before I'd met Shepard. The Citadel in particular had been... so empty, yet so filled with extremely rude and prejudiced people. Even those other times I'd gone back there on the original _Normandy..._ I hadn't always felt the need to get off the ship. I couldn't imagine what people who lived on _Omega_ would think of the galactic center.

"Sooo..." I narrowed my eyes, "You really think letting _Chi_ wander around the Presidium, even supervised, is a good idea?"

"No." She answered honestly, "But Ciarán isn't about to leave her behind, so we're stuck trying to mitigate it as much as we can. I'll be with them all the time to try and keep things calm. Tali... I know you don't like her, and that she's kind of a bitch, but Shepard already tried to talk him out of bringing her and that almost turned into a fight."

"Oh..." There wasn't much else I could say to that, so I simply shook my head and stayed quiet while she went through the rest of her exercises. More strength and tactile tests were followed by coordination, then rotation and stability. She and Doctor Chakwas talked as they worked and checked, discussing how the arm felt, how Nikita was doing, and how the Doctor's day had been. Evidently she'd come to help the mercenary medics mostly as a means to get off of the ship for a while, and had spent most of her morning patching up a couple of Asari who'd gotten a little too enthusiastic in a sparring session.

By the time Nikita was done a few more Blades had arrived, a Turian medic guiding an Asari with a broken wrist and a pair of Batarians helping to hold up a third who had the dazed expression of an alien with a concussion.

"Sorry for the extra work Doctor," The Turian rumbled, his head shaking as he directed the injured to cots, "Another sparring session got a bit out of hand."

"Quite all right." Chakwas replied, "Give me a moment to finish up and I'll check them, go ahead with the preliminaries."

He nodded and started scanning the two, while Nikita got her arm adjusted slightly. Once that was done we were shooed out with my friend promising to escort me back to the ship. I grumbled to myself some more as we left, not exactly happy that my friends were treating me just like people on the Flotilla had.

"I'm not fragile." I muttered as we left the building, stopping and planting my hands on my hips rather than walking out into the street. "I don't have to be supervised at all times."

Nikita glanced over her shoulder at me, pursed her lips for a moment, then slowly smiled. "Hey, I promised to take you to the ship didn't I?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, but I'm not-"

She waved a hand, "Did I say when?"

I blinked, then felt myself smiling a little, "No, no you didn't. What did you have in mind?"

"Well..." Her lips curled a bit more, "If you want to watch a few other boys run around without much clothing on, I know where they've got a clawball pitch setup."

"That's not... I wasn't..." My shoulder slumped, "You're going to tease me forever, aren't you?"

"Probably." She beamed, "And I didn't hear you say no."

I groaned and was again, irritably, grateful for the visor that hid my horrid blush. "...fine."

It probably said something about the mercenaries that their temporary headquarters was a high school that they were struggling to renovate... but they already had thrown up a small stadium complete with no fewer than six bars and three restaurants, and it looked like a casino-slash-brothel was nearly complete right next door. Nikita lead me up to a small booth, using a physical key to let us in, revealing a small but well furnished lounge overlooking the game.

The room was thankfully empty, but for a small mini-bar and the furniture, and we quickly settled in. Much to my, entirely internal and concealed, delight, there were a good number of Quarian men currently on the field... and, just like the ones fighting earlier, they weren't wearing much.

"The advantages of summer." Nikita smiled as she lounged beside me, though I thought her attention was more on the Asari players.

I almost said that I wouldn't know, but forced myself to keep it inside. "Yeah... how are you and Garrus doing?"

The smile flicked, then died. "We're not."

"Oh." I swallowed, "That bad?"

"Half of me is mentally conditioned to be in love with him." She informed me, her voice tired, "The rest of me resents the hell out of that, that I didn't even have a choice. That I couldn't tell... it doesn't matter."

I turned away a little, sorry that I'd asked, that I'd tried to avoid my own bitterness and ruined the mood. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No..." She inhaled sharply and shook her head, "It's not your fault, something I have to deal with. What about you? Anyone waiting for you back in the Flotilla?"

"No..." It was my turn to sigh. "I'm the High Admiral's daughter, which meant anyone who did talk to me was more interested in my position, my access, not... _me._ Father didn't help with that, always trying to set up the sons of his political allies, and he got angry when I wanted nothing to do with them. That's part of why I joined the Marines and went to Haestrom."

Nikita blinked and glanced at me, "Running away from marriage?"

I shrugged sheepishly, "More like running away from persistent _keshin_ who just wanted to boost their chances at becoming a Captain or Admiral by taking me to a clean room. Admiral Gerrel actually helped me get away then, he hates politics and what my father was doing to me after I returned from pilgrimage. He's the one who got me a position on the Haestrom mission."

That personality trait was proving to a problem now, even if I'd been extremely appreciative of his help at the time. Of course that aid had only lasted until the fight with that... _creature_ on Haestrom, the loss of most my team, and the near-death wounds I'd suffered in the fight. After that my father had more or less overridden everyone else and forced me to sit in a little cabin as I healed, not caring that I was slowly going insane from the isolation. I'd had to sneak out on the second mission, and the wounds I'd suffered _that_ time had seen him nearly literally lock me to my own bed.

I think that had been the only time I'd ever seen Admiral Koris and Admiral Gerrel agree on anything, the pair of them blasting him for hiding away a hero. Even so that had only given me access to that one deck on the _Rayya_... and that access had dwindled as I'd spoken more and come to agree with Admiral Koris.

"What about you?" I asked, "If not Garrus, anyone else catch your attention?"

"Not really." She leaned back, kicking her feet up onto the end table as she spoke. "There's not all that many Humans out here, guys or girls, and Asari are strictly off limits thanks to..." A hand made a wavy gesture at her head, "Only Turian I liked was Garrus, probably should have been a hint that something was a bit wrong with my head even back then."

I reached out and gently wrapped my fingers around her hand, "Who _does_ that to someone..."

"Someone who wanted an inside agent." Nikita replied quietly, rotating her wrist so that she could entwine her fingers with mine. "Who could report on everything happening, and then forget what she reported. Who'd be close to Shepard's most skilled ally, so close she could... hurt him, if the need came up."

" _Keelah.."_ The word was mostly a whisper, the unspoken extra commands lingering. "I can't even imagine..."

She didn't cry but her eyes seemed to well for a moment before she blinked them a few times, "Yeah... it's shitty, it's really, really, _really_ Goddamned shitty. But I'm still here, still alive, still fighting back, that's what matters. So long as we're alive we've got hope that things can still turn out."

I stared at her for a few seconds, then squeezed her hand. "You've changed a lot since the old days."

"I'm not the only one." Her smile was weak but there, "Little Tali, all grown up and perving on-"

"Oh _stop it._ "

* * *

 _ **Next up is Operation: Rest and Relaxation**_

 _Only two interludes this time, we'll be going right into the next operation from here with everyone landing on the Citadel and oh so enjoying the experience. Here we got to see how Tali is doing, a bit of how Nikita is doing, and a little more prep for what's coming._

 _Next Operation will be four or five chapters long, three of which will probably be on the Citadel, with two more covering the time between that adventure and the grand finale._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 **Omake: C-Sec General Warning**

 _by Marcusss_

Citizens of the Citadel, please listen to special announcement of Citadel Security:

"We would like to advise you that in the following days a Quarian mercenary known as Voya'Chi vas Xentha will be present at the Citadel together with the Silver Blades Mercenary Corporation's special delegation. It is to be known that according to new Citadel laws, active as of this moment, the act of approaching her, talking to her, insulting her, touching her or othervise intentionally getting her attention is now considered an Act of Suicide by the C-Sec. Any death by Voya'Chi vas Xentha that ocurrs by this manner will not be aplicable for life insurance coverage by any Citadel active insurance corporations. Thank you for your time."


	40. Operation: Rest, Refit I

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Rest, Refit**

* * *

 _ **Citadel Daily News**_

 _...excuse me, we've just received breaking news that several Spectres have just arrived on the Citadel accompanying a vessel declaring itself to be the_ Normandy II. _The ship itself appears to be identical to the proposed, but never built, System's Alliance Gallipoli class cruiser, and long range cameras seem to show that it has been repainted in the coloration of the Silver Blade Corporation._

 _This mercenary group was notably involved in the destruction of the Human-centric Cerberus terrorist organization, and it is possible that the vessel was taken as a spoil of war. Why this Terminus based corporation has sent such an advanced warship to the Citadel is entirely unknown at this time, and we have only identified one of the escorts as Senior Spectre Tela Vasir's personal warship..._

 _My apologies, news continues to roll in. We now have confirmation that the other Spectres are Ashley Williams, humanity's only current agent, and Spectre Atia Severa of Palaven. We are dispatching reporters to the Presidium to request interviews with all three agents, and will update you all as soon as we know more._

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _(Cieran Kean)_

 **Date** : 12-20-2184

 **Location** : Spectre Docking Ring, Presidium, Citadel Station, Widow Nebula

* * *

We'd barely left the ship, and I was already on edge.

Our preparation for this mission had mostly consisted of Shepard and Miranda trying to run us through the many laws that we would actually be expected to obey. It had been about as fun as I'd expected to be, especially as I couldn't exactly dismiss the points they'd raised. While technically we could have stepped onto the station as we normally equipped ourselves, given that we would have Spectre-Associate clearance from no fewer than four of the elite agents, they'd pointed out that would have been politically unwise.

We were, after all, here to convince the Council that we _weren't_ Empire-building militarists from the Terminus. To that end, we needed to look professional, law abiding, and not like we'd just left a war zone.

No rifles, no technical mines, no grenades, no war gauntlets, no daggers... we'd still be in our light armor, repainted and cleaned up for the first time in months, but I would be keeping my helmet off. Voya would get to keep hers, thanks to being a Quarian, which had made me silently jealous. Of course she was extremely annoyed to have left her trophies behind, and kept reaching up to touch her neck and waist where the necklace and belt would have been. Further, though we would have our pistols as allowed by our legal status as authorized mercenaries, we'd have to be ready to surrender them in certain areas.

I'd expected all of that, as much as I hadn't liked it, and I'd prepared myself as best I could. But even so...

It was annoying as fuck.

"What's first?" I asked, glancing at Shepard as the airlock closed behind our away party. For today it was just the Spectre, Liara, and Vakarian, while I'd only brought Voya out. Erana and Illyan would both be needed later, but for now it was best to get a handle on what we could expect. Nikita and Zorah _should_ have been here, but my fellow experiment and her evident best friend had both begged off due to hangover.

Shepard hadn't seemed happy at their choice of timing, but she hadn't really remonstrated them either.

"Spectres don't have to deal with customs," Shepard spoke while checking her dress uniform for imperfections. Beside her, Liara was wearing her combat lab-coat, making her look more in line with us than with her wife, while Vakarian had pulled out his old C-Sec armor and gotten it fixed up. "So we'll be heading right inside, Ash should have news if any Councilors are waiting for us."

"Right." I exhaled, feeling Voya slide up next to me, her helmet gazing around the hangar, scanning for threats. Apart from a few bored looking techs checking over other Spectre vessels, most of which looked to be just as ludicrously high tech as the _Normandy II,_ there wasn't much to note. "No welcoming committee?"

Shepard beckoned us to follow, setting off and talking as she did, "Benefit of docking here, the media aren't allowed in, neither are national representatives. Unless you're a Spectre, a Councilor, or a guest of one or the other you don't get to come in... and by Spectre standards, me coming back to life probably isn't all that noteworthy."

Voya made a quiet mewling sound, something that mixed mild amusement with a questioning note. "You going to give us keys then? I'd rather not have to be escorted every time we want to head back to the ship."

The Spectre glanced over her shoulder at us, frowning, but nodded slightly, "You'll be given access codes, probably with Vasir or Severa's name attached. Should just have to ask the door guard once we get there."

Probably on the off chance that the Council decided that Shepard needed a nice long investigation before they let her do anything. In that case it would probably be in our best interests to get the fuck away as soon as practicable to avoid further complications, and to make sure that someone was still in place to handle the Collectors.

We followed her to the hangar's nearest exit, finding ourselves in a small customs area. The only person present was a Turian in the armor of a C-Sec agent, though his glowing badge was that of the Spectre office. He must have been forewarned because he didn't so much as react to seeing Shepard alive. Instead he simply nodded when she indicated that she was declaring the _Normandy_ off limits while it was docked here, and handed him a list of everyone who might be taking leave. He glanced over it, compared it to a similar list that Williams had evidently given him, then nodded again and waved us through.

Evidently the Spectre offices had been designed to let guests in and out... though not to let them see anything in the process. We passed a good dozen sealed doors during a short walk, reached a lift, and took it up to some kind of waiting area complete with another C-Sec officer, and three other Spectres.

Like Shepard, two of the three had gone for formal wear rather than armor. Williams matched her old friend nearly exactly, though her collection of medals was smaller, while Vasir wore an unfamiliar but very tight red uniform with blue accents. In typical contrast, Severa's Turian sensibilities left her in her usual midnight black armor, though for once she wasn't armed to the teeth, bearing only a pair of pistols on her hips.

The only thing all four had in common was a blue cape thrown over one shoulder, the Spectre logo on the clasp holding it in place.

"Good news," Vasir reported as we arrived, "Reporters are slow today, some kind of big art gala in Zakera ward had most of them occupied. Bad news is that Sparatus wants to see us all immediately, and he's got a couple of Hierarchy reps with him to start the coverage."

Shepard grunted, "We taking the secure lift up then?"

"You three are." She replied, tipping her head towards Voya and I. "I'm escorting these two out on the public route to keep everyone busy wondering why they're here. You're not to be revealed until the press conference tomorrow."

I narrowed my eyes, "So we're just the distraction?"

The Asari shook her head, "Not entirely. They know the ship is here, probably already know that it's broadcasting a Blade IFF, and they're going to start picking at your past sooner rather than later. We head out there, you drop a reference or two to ExoGeni and what's going on with your planet, that way they at least dig up shit on _them_ too."

"Ah." I tilted my head in a tacit apology, "Still, will it really matter? Soon as Shepard shows her face we're going to be nothing."

Severa's mandibles twitched, "Never underestimate their ability to multi-task. Citadel news groups don't last long if they can't offer balanced coverage of at least five different crisis at once. Go with whatever intro speech you had ready for tomorrow."

That made me grimace but dip my head again. I had a basic idea of what was going to be said at the press conference that was supposed to be held, but it was supposed to be _Illyan_ and _Erana_ who would be attending and speaking for us, assuming that the reporters didn't just hammer Shepard constantly. I knew my strengths and public speaking was very much not amongst them, and doing so a few seconds after landing on a station that had me on edge was not the best time to try.

"This is going to go well." I muttered as the Spectres all stepped aside, murmuring quietly to one another.

Voya shifted closer, pitching her own voice low, "You think they planned this, make us look bad?"

"No." I sighed, "Shepard's above that, this is someone trying to manage the optics of all this as carefully as they can. Probably Udina."

Her eyes shifted, telling me she was wincing inside her visor. Exhaling, I glowered at the door leading out, then turned away and walked to the room's officer. The Turian glanced up at me from his console as I approached, his mandibles tight to his jaw. "Yes?"

I gestured at the door, "Need a means to get back to the ship if a Spectre isn't around to let us in."

He seemed to relax a little, nodding and pulling open a drawer. A moment later I had a small pair of cards that he had me finger print, and after a quiet call, Vasir strolled over to sign them both. "The guards and secretary on the other side will let you in with these, display them if requested by C-Sec to confirm you're allowed to be so equipped in the Presidium."

Bowing slightly in thanks, I tossed one of the two to Voya and pocketed the other. By then Shepard and her companions had vanished out of a side door, along with Williams and Severa, probably heading for some super-secret elevator that would let them avoid whoever was outside. That left us with Vasir, the alien woman waving us towards the door.

Outside proved to be an entrance area similar to the implanted memories I had of the Human Embassy. There was an Asari secretary seated behind a broad desk, though I could see the armor she was wearing beneath her dress, and she had a shotgun resting against her knee. A good six C-Sec officers were also present, all Turian, all in full armor like Vakarian's, and had the stances of men not about to let anyone past them.

The anyone turned out to be... not all that many people. Three reporters, tops, maybe a fourth if the bored Asari leaning against a column was one as well. A few people wandered in the distance, clearly just meandering around the Presidium... there couldn't have been more than forty or fifty people in sight. Combine that with a glance upwards and around, revealing the cavernous yet open nature of the place...

Voya slid up against my side almost at once, an arm sliding around my waist as my own automatically went around hers. "...unsettling."

I agreed entirely, but the locals had apparently taken notice and were quickly heading our way. Recording drones bobbed along in their wake, and I could only describe their expressions as 'ecstatic'. Vasir moved slightly, holding up a single hand in the universal sign to stop. To my intense surprise, they actually came to a halt about two meters away, a Human, two Asari, and a Salarian simply focusing their cameras and glancing between the two of us and the Spectre.

Well... three of them were, the Human man was giving me an extremely skeptical look for reasons unknown. Probably my hair, maybe Voya.

"Thank you." The Asari Spectre spoke, stepping aside. "I'm afraid Commander Kean is due to speak with Councilor Sparatus, and so our time is limited. He will give you a brief statement, answer one question each, and then we will be departing. Kean?"

I inhaled sharply through my teeth, then nodded and glanced over the four once again, choosing my words. After a bit more thought, I elected to speak in Thessian rather than Highborn Batarian as I normally would in a formal setting. Less because I was worried about offending anyone, and more because I didn't trust their translators not to try and apply Lowborn to my words, removing most of the nuance.

"As I'm sure you've worked out, I'm Executive Commander Cieran Kean, of the Silver Blade Corporation." Reminding them who I was, seemed a good place to start. "As I'm also sure that you can guess, we're here to settle the disagreement over the planet Novgorod with the ExoGeni Corporation and will be seeking a resolution with the Council."

I sat on those words, noting the reporters nodding slightly, glancing at their omni-tools, and then looking expectantly back at me.

Except... "That was it." I told them, trying _not_ to sound flat and blunt for once in my life, and knowing that I was failing utterly. "She told you it would be short."

The Salarian looked less than impressed, but both of the Asari snickered while my fellow Human grinned. Figuring to get the worst out of the way first, I waved a hand at the native of Sur'kesh. "Your question first."

He, I thought it was a he... it was hard to tell with Salarians, blinked his eyes before speaking, "What makes you believe that the Council will be willing to meet with a common thug and confirmed criminal from the Terminus?"

I twitched, started to move to rest my left hand on my pistol to punctuate my words, and then forced myself to stop before I could. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer. You three, questions, left to right."

Asari number one elected to introduce herself, which won her points in comparison to the asshole next to her. "Cura T'Shane, Citadel Daily News. Did you have any comments on the accusations from the Systems' Alliance and the colonial government of Horizon? That your corporation was responsible for the attack on that world, and attacks on other colonies?"

"I can tell you that they are..." I exhaled, half closed my eyes, and forced myself not to swear. "Absolutely false. We have more than sufficient evidence to prove that the Collectors and Geth are behind the attacks. Next question."

"Alexander Manuel," The Human greeted me, "Will you be providing that evidence to the public at large, and a clarification on your rank if you could? Are you not the Director of the SBC?"

"To your first. It has already been provided to the Council and several Spectres, it will likely be disseminated to you throughout our visit." I replied, "Director Ayle ul Massa has resumed the position, my role as Director was merely temporary while she concentrated on other matters. Last question."

If they were surprised or upset by my short answers and quick pace, they didn't show it. The last reporter, a shorter but striking Matron with green waves on her cheeks, gave me an extremely polite bow her head in the Batarian style, "It is very rare that Terminus citizens of your societal standing visit the Citadel, may I ask what you think of it so far?"

I blinked a bit, then rolled a shoulder in an Asari shrug. "I've been here for less than ten minutes, ask me again some other time."

"May I press you for a first impression?" She asked.

Voya stirred and spoke on our behalf, her soft voice low through her helmet's speakers. "It's empty, quiet, and unsettling."

That made all of the reporters glance around, then at each other as though they weren't entirely sure what she meant.

"I or members of my staff will be available for further questions later this week." I informed them, turning slightly towards Vasir and waving my free hand. She nodded back and then turned away, trusting us to keep up as she set off. We followed, leaving the reporters behind, all but the Salarian already talking to their producers from the sounds of it.

That just left the three of us to start walking through the Presidium, which proved to be an... experience.

The place reeked of exclusivity and wealth, yet did it in a way I'm not sure less observant or paranoid people would notice. Water fountains were fed by artificial streams and waterfalls, the sound a low hum that easily covered up the conversation from the sparse crowd. Trees, kept alive by the goddess knew what, rustled and waved their leaves from the wind of vents, while actual _birds_ and lizard, bat-like things chirped and yipped and flew in lazy circles. The statue to the Krogan was evidently far from the only piece of art, as we passed statues large and small honoring heroes of the Council.

Above all, there was _space._ So much goddess-damned space. The entire Presidium was practically empty, apartments or embassies or whatever all crowded up against the sides to that the entire interior section could be devoted to the gardens and artwork.

"It's like walking through a tomb." Voya muttered about ten minutes in. She'd managed to relax enough to walk beside me instead of pressed up against me, but she was clearly as uncomfortable as I was. "That allows tourists."

Just ahead of us, Vasir snorted, "Wards will be more to your liking, the Warrens even more so. This is where the rich and powerful live, they don't like to see common clanless running around."

I glanced at a group of, from their dress, businessmen and women as we made our way past an open-air restaurant where the Salarian waiters all wore suits. "Don't like to see _us_ running around either."

The Asari glanced at the various stupefied, insulted, or disgusted expressions. "No, they don't. Quarians usually get chased out of here pretty quickly, and you look like some kind of wild beast compared to the Humans they usually see."

Snorting, I shook my head, my two heavy braids shifting while my pony-tail flicked over my shoulder. I absently brushed it back, reaching up to stroke the far smaller braids in my beard. "Better than looking like Humans trying too hard to be Asari."

"By looking like a Human trying too hard to be a Quarian?" She asked, though her normally harsh voice had a teasing lilt to it.

Voya rolled her glowing eyes, "He did it because Batarian women couldn't keep their hands off of his mane. I just made him color it black and told him I would kill him if he cut any of it away."

That made the Spectre laugh, though she refrained from further commentary in favor of guiding us onwards. The Krogan monument came into view a few minutes later, and evidently served to indicate that we were nearly there. Of course, as we drew nearer to the embassies and the Council's position, the number of people wandering around began to pick up. It was still utterly sparse compared to Illium, never-mind to Omega or our new place on Novgorod, but it was enough to be noticeable.

There were at least two large tour groups moving through the area, one group of Human teenagers probably on some kind of field trip, and an unusually large number of Turian soldiers who were in Hierarchy gear rather than C-Sec. The wave hit the beach regarding the latter when I saw a towering column farther on ahead, about where I'd have expected the Relay connecting the station to Ilos. Evidently they'd entombed it rather than risk taking it apart, and were sensibly keeping a large number of soldiers around it just in case.

My approval of that paranoia didn't last long, since we had to walk past the past the high school field trip as we made for the tower.

"...statue of Emperor Urdnot Golrun," The well dressed Asari evidently leading the kids around was speaking from where she was standing on a bench, her voice stentorian and clear, "Honoring the Krogan contribution to defeating the Rachni and preserving galactic society... ah, children, please step aside and allow the Spectre to move past."

The mention of a Spectre promptly made about sixty bored teenagers lurch into high gear, swinging their heads wildly around before locking onto us. Excited murmurs broke out almost at once, and it took a pair of teachers and the guide's insistence to actually get them out of the way.

Vasir ignored them with studious ease, clearly used to this kind of thing, while I found myself remembering a particularly annoying trip to the Imperial Academy on Xentha. Of course these kids were less in awe of us and more confused as hell as to who we actually were and why were wandering around in full armor with weapons.

"What the hell is a Quarian doing here?"

"Forget that, look at his hair! Does he not know what scissors are?"

"Those pistols have to be fake right?"

"Children," The guide lifted her voice once again, "Please step back farther, allow the Spectre and her Terminus... _guests_ passage."

The words made me twitch because, as I could have guessed, that just made the murmuring intensify massively even as they did back up a little more.

"She say _Terminus_? Like, pirates and gangsters?"

"Are they prisoners?"

"Are you kidding, they're _armed."_

"Well, why else would they let barbarians like that-"

I stopped moving, turned, and glared at them all, my left hand twitching slightly towards my pistol. Sixty teenagers shut up more or less instantly, a few of them rocking back as if I'd struck them, most quickly averting their eyes.

I regarded them flatly, nodded once, then turned and continued walking. Voya slid up next to me once more, her voice a low purr. "You are incredibly attractive when you do that."

"Hush." I admonished quietly, hearing the conversation break out almost at once behind us, though this time they sensibly kept their voices down to loud whispers. Voya responded by sliding her arm around me once more, and tilting her helmet to make her invisible smirk clear.

While no one else was quite so open about their gawking and muttering, we drew a substantial amount of attention the rest of the way. Gaping and confused blinks were the standard reaction, especially from other Humans, while Asari and Salarians seemed to alternate between horrified disgust and honest puzzlement. The Turians seemed to be the only group who were largely indifferent or approving, with a few going so far to nod politely in our direction as we walked past.

Which made a certain degree of sense. Committed to the Council or not, the militarized Hierarchy as a government had more in common with Yan T'Ravt and her empire than they did with their own allies.

Vasir's status let us skip a line of Asari corporate types at the main lift, all of whom glared at her and us in equal measure for daring to do so. The elevator was far faster than I'd thought it might be, we were only halfway through an ad for the next Blasto movie before we arrived in... another goddess-damned garden, though this one came with three more Spectres, one from each of the old species, all in armor, all evidently on duty.

"Tela." The Asari greeted, her purple skin and black markings rather unique. "You're expected, so long as you hold onto their guns you can go on ahead."

I grimaced, and Voya shifted her weight uncomfortably. Vasir noticed and sighed, shaking her head as she turned, "Sorry kids, rules are rules. Hand 'em over."

It was extremely difficult to hand over the heavy pistol, and the Asari had to all but pry Voya's out of her own grip. This time it was my turn to step closer to her, feeling utterly naked without a weapon. Athame's ass I didn't even have a _knife_ on me, and the handful of seconds it would take me to yank my helmet off its tether and get it over my skull would be infinitely longer without Voya providing covering fire.

Electing to ignore our discomfort, or maybe electing to get this over with as quickly as she could, Vasir led us down a narrow path between blue colored ferns and tall trees until we reached a closed door protected by a full unit of Turian cabalists. Each of the biotics was armed to the teeth, had a dozen grenades openly on their belts, and wore some kind of half-poncho like thing to mark them as something more than regular soldiers.

They didn't let us go through until Voya and I had been scanned thoroughly, and I was mildly surprised to find out that she'd actually listened to me and _hadn't_ hidden at least one or two blades on her person.

Then we were allowed into the personal quarters of Councilor Sparatus.

It was... well, about what I expected. It resembled the cozy den of a retired but inordinately proud General more than a politician's abode. Old battle flags, medals, pictures of comrades, and paintings of Turian warships dominated the décor. Weapons were also bolted to the walls, not all of them of Turian manufacture, and not all of them freed from old, old bloodstains.

Voya, being Voya, ignored everything and everyone else in the room, disentangled herself from me, and all but stalked over to the nearest to examine it.

"Gauntlets of _Ha'diq_ Goshun." The characteristic voice of Sparatus carried easily, "I'm rather proud of that one, the stubborn ass raided three of our worlds, and made us work for it when we caught him."

My lover made a low sound of approval, while I simply smiled and glanced around the room. The Councilor himself was lounging in chair, another male Turian about his age standing behind him. In person he was far larger than I'd have expected, both in height and build, and he all but towered over Udina who was sitting nearby. Humanity's Councilor looked... well, far older than the implanted memories of him.

His face was worn with deep stress lines, what hair he had left was snow white and obviously receding, and there was a slight hunch to his posture... but his eyes remained sharp and alert, though mostly focused on where Shepard was sitting opposite them. The others in the room, Vakarian, Liara, Williams, and Severa, were all at a small bar in one corner, clearly intending to not be involved in the coming conversation.

Vasir quickly moved to join them, taking our weapons with her, making me exhale through my teeth before moving to stand near Shepard.

"Councilors." I greeted them as politely as I could, trying to mentally super-impose Aria and Sederis over them so that I would be in the right frame of mind. "Thank you for the invitation and assistance."

Sparatus waved a clawed hand, "It is of little consequence, and your corporation has done well by the Hierarchy. "

"If not by the Alliance." Udina groused, finally giving me his attention. "Do you have any earthly idea how many problems you've caused in the past year?"

"No." I replied bluntly, "And I doubt I'd care even if you spent the next few hours enumerating them."

"Well you should." He growled back, "If what Shepard has told us is true, and you are relocating your merry little band to Council territory."

I stared at him, then glanced at Shepard, "Seriously? This is about us and not you?"

The Spectre shrugged, "He already went over everything that I gave to Councilor Sparatus, and we worked out the logistics of the press conference tomorrow. Until the reactions start and we know what fires to put out, we're just left with your relocation and the politics of it."

"And everything else." Udina continued. "Your interactions with Commander Anders, reports of attacks on Freedom's Progress, Carastes, nevermind the shit-storm you kicked up with your actions on Benihi. Removing Cerberus may have endeared you to the Hierarchy but the Alliance is not impressed. Especially as you have never once communicated peaceably with us."

I pointed at Shepard, "She doesn't count?"

The old man stared back at me flatly. "With the Alliance _government_."

"Ah." I nodded sagely, "Would they have believed anything I said?"

Udina narrowed his eyes, "Likely not."

"Would the AIS and Corsairs have tried to arrest or kill me if I tried to meet with them?" I asked.

Shepard snorted, "Probably."

"Then why would I bother?" The rhetorical question didn't seem to improve his mood, though I saw Sparatus' companion flex his mandibles in amusement. "Cerberus became hostile to my people, and they were dealt with. Aria told me to deal with the Collector situation, I am doing so. If the corrupt assholes on Horizon become a problem, I will resolve that problem on my terms. Not Earth's."

Udina's scowl worsened, and he gave Shepard a somewhat disgusted look. "Where do you find these people?"

The Spectre gave him a wan smile before leaning forwards, resting her elbows on her knees. "He's a bit of an ass, but he's got a point. Horizon's government locked themselves in a bunker without even trying to take care of their people in the aftermath, and the Corsairs shot at him for doing their job for them. Whatever I feel about him personally, his group is doing work that _needs_ to be done right now. Giving them a safe place to put their civilians isn't an unreasonable ask."

"And this allows a Terminus organization to migrate into the Traverse?" Humanity's Councilor pressed, "An organization that openly takes its orders from Aria T'Loak, and is allied with the Xenthan Empire?"

Shepard sighed and shook her head, "Councilor... you know me, who I am, where I came from, what I believe in. Would I be seriously telling you to leave them alone if I saw another option? I don't like Kean, he's a ruthless, paranoid ass... no offense," I shrugged unconcernedly in reply, "But he's good to his word, he's not stupid, and he's got troops and ships we'll need to fight the Reapers when they come."

"Well said," Sparatus rumbled, turning away from where he'd been watching Voya check over more of his collection, "Kean, your Corporation's past and allies color public opinion of it. What we're proposing is a compromise. We will assist you in getting rid of this ridiculous lawsuit and effectively cede the Yeketerina system to you. In exchange, you will agree to not directly expand to other unsettled worlds, annex colonized systems, or otherwise engage in such affairs within the Attican Traverse."

I considered that, frowning a little. "How long of a cap are you thinking?"

"Permanently." Udina replied at once.

I regarded him flatly, then pointedly turned my attention to the other Councilor.

Sparatus sighed, "Fifteen years."

That was far longer than I knew Ayle would like, but if it resolved this without a Council fleet showing up to evict us... and fifteen years would still leave Novgorod sparsely populated on the whole unless we were hit by massive immigration waves. "How about five years where we do not expand at all, then another fifteen where we don't expand beyond two Relays of Yeketerina?"

The two Councilors glanced at one another, then at Shepard. The Spectre pursed her lips, looking up at me with her speckled eyes, then shrugged, "They won't be invading and annexing, not his or Massa's style. More likely they'd want to start setting up deep space stations as discharge and refueling points, and places they can strip mine for resources."

Udina pressed his lips together, "That... might be sellable."

"If nothing else," I provided, "Reference the fact that the Hegemony wants us dead, so we won't be allying with them anytime soon."

He cocked his head to one side, frowning even more deeply, "I suppose that could be used as leverage. No other comments, Sparatus? Care to go any easier on the mercenaries?"

Sparatus seemed to glower at him, "The status of a single mercenary corporation is hardly our greatest priority at the moment, regardless of their galactic position. Especially as they openly have no desire to provoke us."

"And if they violate their word?" Udina pressed.

The Turian rolled his eyes, "In that circumstance, I will press the Primarch to send a battle-fleet to obliterate them, if such words will make you feel better."

I glanced at Shepard again, who merely shrugged, then I cautiously spoke, "Is there anything else, or can I get back to the ship?"

The silent man behind Sparatus stirred, "You and I will be retiring to write up the initial contract, ideally you will send it to your new Director for review and have it approved before the official meeting on the Twenty-Eighth."

I could only sigh.

* * *

 **Codex: The Deep Traverse**

 _The so called 'Deep Traverse' is also known as the 'Far Traverse', or 'Rimward Traverse'. It is that region of the Attican Traverse closest to the Dark Rim, stretching from the Hegemony's nominal borders to the Xenthan Empire in the Terminus systems. It is the largest area of the Traverse by volume, the least populated, and the least coherent even by the region's unstable standards._

 _While nominally Council territory, it has never seen official patrols from any Council nation, even in antiquity. It can be considered an extension of the Terminus for this reason, though the Greater Warlords historically avoid the area to avoid provoking Council retaliation. As a result, it is one of the more common areas for proxy-wars between Council backed colonial alliances and Terminus backed pirate bands and is filled with the ruins of forgotten colonies, military bases, and other facilities._

 _Historically the Council has had the advantage, slowly endeavoring to 'civilize' the area via corporate colonization, but the loss of the Quarian Federation and then Batarian Hegemony proved to be heavy setbacks. In modernity the Council has largely withdrawn from the area, focusing on the Skyllian Verge, the Coreward Sector, and the Salient._

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _(Kaya Shepard)_

 **Date** : 12-21-2184

 **Location** : Presidium, Citadel Station, Widow Nebula

* * *

I glanced down at the tablet with its long list of notes, blew out a breath, and found myself unable to stop pacing as I read from it. It wasn't as if the story was complicated, or really all that far from the truth, but even a small misstep could cause all kinds of problems for everyone. Knowing that I'd be all but interrogated by an incredulous mob. This was being billed as a post-operation press conference for the Cerberus clean up, with a side of discussing the Collector attacks and the Silver Blades' denying their involvement.

That meant, so far as the media was concerned, Ash was going to be the one running this.

 _Me_ walking out there was going to cause so much chaos I didn't think they'd even notice the T'Donna sisters standing in for Kean.

The thought of the two women made me glance in their direction, and trying, once again, to rationalize them with everyone else in the Blades. They seemed so... well, _inverted_ from Kean and the others who seemed normal on the outside but were entirely fucked up mentally.

These two looked about as abnormal for Asari as you could imagine, Illyan had to be more than six and a half feet tall, and was built like a brick house, while Erana was only a few inches shorter. If she wasn't as jacked as her sister right now it seemed clear she eventually could be, if she put even a mild effort into it. Some kind of genetic condition, a variation of giantism, according to Liara. It left my bondmate perpetually awkward around them, if only because she was used to easily being the tallest Asari around at five-ten.

Yet for all that, the two seemed to be the most normal people I'd met on Omega. They didn't care about the _cause_ of the Blades, or the corporation itself. They cared about their friends and family, first, last, and only, and seemed to do their best to mitigate the... more ruthless ideas put forward by others. They knew the job they were doing was perilously close to some moral lines, and worried about that fact in ways that I doubted Massa or Kean did.

Today, the pair were in formal uniforms, though only Illyan bore a heavy, ankle length trench coat atop her own. She also had a single crutch to help her move along, her cast hidden beneath her pants, though right now it was set aside while she and her sister read from their own tablet and quietly spoke with one another.

"Jacqueline," Liara's voice was soft as she moved to block my pacing, "Chose well, I think."

"Yeah." I agreed, turning away from them to give my wife a small smile, "She's a good girl, despite her questionable choice in father figures."

She smiled back at me, "Perhaps. Are you ready for this?"

"Can't be any worse than anything else I've done." I sighed, rolling my shoulders a little and feeling my dress uniform tighten a bit. "Ash send you?"

There was a nod, then she stepped closer and leaned in to give me a soft kiss, sending reassurance and confidence through our bond. I tried not to return the kiss too eagerly, and fought down another sigh as she stepped back, taking her warmth with her.

"Time to go then?" Illyan spoke as she heaved herself up to her feet, grabbing the crutch and leaning on it. "If T'Soni is giving away good luck kisses, I totally call the next one."

Liara flushed prettily and turned to glower at the taller maiden. "I told you to stop that!"

"I told you I'll stop when you stop blushing." Came the cheerful reply, "Your bondmate is still innocent as fuck Shepard, maybe you should be more inventive in bed."

I groaned, "T'Donna... not now."

"I'm just saying," She grinned down at us, "If you need some advice on positions or want a third, I'm more than happy to-fucking shit!"

Her sister smacked her over the head a second time for good measure, shook her head, and gave us a deferential little bow in the Blades' odd Batarian style, "We're prepared if you are, Commander Shepard."

"Right," I nodded and turned for the waiting room's door. "Let's do this."

The door slid open at my touch of the controls, revealing a small raised platform with six seats. Udina sat in the center, with Ash on his far side, and Atia Severa in the end chair beyond her. Guessing that I was supposed to sit nearest to the Councilor, I took one last deep breath, let it out, and then strode as confidently as I could out of the door towards them.

Pandemonium ensued before I'd gone three steps.

There were a good fifty reporters and journalists in the room proper, and all of them were on their feet and shouting. My translator couldn't even attempt to keep up, letting me hear the whistling cries of Turians, unending run-on words from Asari, rapid fire chittering from Salarians, the drone of Elcor translators, interspersed with English, Spanish, and Mandarin shouts from fellow Humans.

Doing my best to ignore the cacophony, I kept my military posture rigid and settled into my chair as if none of them were there, as if camera drones weren't colliding with each other as their operators tried to get the best shots of me. As I'd expected, it seemed like no one was paying any attention to the T'Donna sisters as they followed, carefully taking their own seats.

Udina didn't even try to shout for silence, instead simply thumbing a button set beneath the desk. A deep, booming claxon made everyone flinch and clasp at their ears or equivalents, and my ears continued to ring for the next thirty seconds or so.

"Thank you all for coming." Humanity's Councilor began, as if nothing unusual had just happened, "We will obviously begin with Spectre Kaya Shepard, and progress onto the various concerning events in the Attican Traverse. The floor will be opened to questions at the appropriate time. Shepard?"

I folded my hands together in front of me, let out a slow breath, and then began speaking. "A little over two years ago, the _Normandy_ was attacked by an unknown ship over the planet Alchera. You were told, at the time, that I was killed. This was only a partial truth, though it would be several months until that was known to even Councilor Sparatus. The full truth was that I was crippled and near dead after a crash landing of the ship, and only survived by activating my armor's emergency stasis program."

From there the story continued, following the agreed-upon modifications to reality. My rescue on Omega was portrayed as a stroke of luck by the Silver Blades who had been working with Cerberus insiders, and who had civilly, if quietly, reached out to Spectre Severa with the news that they had me in the aftermath. From there I had been taken to a top secret facility at Councilor Spatarus' personal order, to be carefully repaired and nursed back to health, while Severa had hired the mercenaries to investigate who had killed me.

"The Councilor elected to keep the news of my survival silent from everyone." I continued, "As, at the time, my attackers were unknown and he believed it likely that they would make another attempt should that information become public. Further, my 'death' opened up several avenues of attack on anti-Council groups such as Cerberus."

I continued on, occasionally drawing Illyan T'Donna and Severa into the retelling. Between us, we described Cerberus' experiments and attacks, Aria's information that the Collectors' were active, and the SBC being told by the Black Queen to handle both affairs. How the mercenaries had turned several of Cerberus' elite agents against the organization, and even uncovered a plot to duplicate me with a brainwashed and exploited young woman. How their discoveries at Novgorod, That Place, and other colonies had led to evidence pointing to the Collectors as the orchestrator of my near-death experience.

"While I was not healthy enough to partake in the full operation against Cerberus with Spectres Severa and Williams," I enumerated, "I was able to join in the investigation of Freedom's Progress after the Collector and Geth attack there, and was among the first on the ground when the Silver Blades rushed to Horizon during that attack. We can confirm that the Collectors are abducting Humans on a massive scale for reasons unknown."

Udina leaned forwards, taking that as his cue, "To that end, Spectres, Shepard, Williams, and Severa have all been tasked with discovering what that purpose is, preventing any additional colonies from being attacked, and attempting to dissuade the Collectors from further such attacks if possible."

The crowd had calmed during the long story, but only just barely. An impatient hum seemed to run through them as they waited for him to release them.

He recognized that as easily as I did, and seemed to grimace as he settled back in his chair. "The floor will now be open, the VI will select at random to prevent any further uproars. Please refrain from follow up questions, interruptions, or anything else that may impede timely answers. First question."

A quiet ping made an Asiatic woman all but leap to her feet in excitement, "Commander Shepard, could you please elaborate on how injured you were, and how it prevented you from contacting the Systems Alliance?"

"My injuries were extensive, as I said." I replied, deciding to answer the former and ignore the latter. "I won't go into the gory details. I did not wake up for nearly a year after the attack, and I have spent the majority of the time since slowly attempting to recover. Next question?"

There was a pause, then another ping, and an old Turian levered himself up with his cane. "In your professional opinion, what is the danger of the Collectors and Geth to the Council?"

I spread my hands slightly, "The Geth are no longer an issue, they have retreated to Rannoch and have indicated their desire for non-involvement in all organic affairs from this point onwards. Secondly," I had to raise my voice slightly over the murmur that followed, "I would rate the Collector threat as low but very real, and likely to rise. Their technology is, quite frankly, beyond even the Asari."

Question three was, to my lack of surprise, a request to clarify what I'd just said about the Geth. Thankfully Ash decided to give my throat a break, and handled that one, elaborating on the different factions within the Geth and how the isolationists had effectively won. That any future Geth attacks would be the results of the remaining Heretic forces, and that it was important to differentiate between the two groups.

She didn't bother to mention the ongoing state of the Quarians, probably guessing that to do so would have either invited uncaring shrugs or yet more questions. As it was, another hour passed in the back and forth, and then a second.

Most of the questions were fairly relevant, trying to get a better idea as to what had happened to me, where my old crew had ended up after the attacks on their homes, and plenty of prying as to why I hadn't contacted anyone in the Alliance. Then, when it was clear that I had done so because of Sparatus' orders, Udina and Severa got bombarded with questions in regard to _why_ he had felt that need. None of them seemed to buy the idea that it had been done for my safety, but as none of us broke ranks on the subject they didn't have anything besides speculation.

Another category, thankfully smaller, was the usual assortment of entirely pointless questions. If Liara and I were still bonded-slash-married, if I was _sure_ that the Blades hadn't been behind the attack on Horizon, my personal opinion on Omega, why I hadn't assassinated Aria T'Loak if I'd been on that station anyway, if my childhood wasn't influencing my opinions, why I was loyal to the Council instead of the Alliance...

That last had ticked me off enough that I'd offered no comment for three more in a row, promptly turning everyone else to glare at the man who'd asked.

They'd recovered by finally throwing a couple of questions towards the sisters, mostly about what was going on with Novgorod and how serious they were about working with the Council against the Collectors. They'd bluntly indicated that they'd take any help they could get for the latter set, but been more tactful, if more vicious, in attacking ExoGeni and defending their right to colonize the planet for the former group. That had drawn more interest their way, and they'd enjoyed a good twenty minutes elaborating on their defense.

Their maturity seemed to shine the most, they had to repeat their ages twice and I wasn't sure most of the Asari present actually believed them.

After that, things turned back to me, with Udina warning that this would be the final question. The chosen reporter, the old Turian rising as he was randomly chosen for a third time, pausing to consider his words for nearly a minute before speaking. "Will you be departing for the Traverse at once, or remaining station for a length of time?"

"I will be remaining until the New Year." I replied, feeling drained, tired, and very sick of the humming drones. "I will likely not have any further media availability until after this operation."

A collective groan seemed to indicate their disappointment, and the moment we all rose to shuffle off their discipline finally broke. I don't think any of them expected us to stop and answer to the things they were shouting so much as they felt the need to prove to their bosses that they'd at least made the attempt. The sound thankfully cut off once all six of us were back in the private waiting area, finding Liara standing near a wall. Three different flat-screens were already offering coverage and discussion, and she had a fourth running on her omni-tool.

"Your last statement is incorrect, Shepard." Udina felt the need to inform me before I could even go an ask how this was being spun. "You have a private one on one with a reputable reporter tomorrow."

I turned to glower at him, "When did I agree to that?"

"When you swore an oath to be a Council Spectre." He replied flatly, "You'll receive the details shortly, and I expect you to be there. The more we lock down what happened, the sooner the public will turn their attention to more critical events."

Meaning they'd stop worrying about _how_ I'd lived and _where_ I'd been, and focus on _what_ I was currently doing. I wasn't convinced that it would work, but I supposed it was better than doing nothing and letting events unfold on their own.

"Fine." I sighed, "Liara, how's the coverage?"

"Constant." Came the prompt reply, though she didn't turn away from the screens, probably reading the scrolling subtitles. "All of the major branches are rushing to locate experts on Spectre laws to determine the legality of it all, others are debating your appearance and the amount of damage you must have sustained."

Ash moved up next to me, her lips pressed together, "Anything we need to worry about off the bat?"

Liara shook her head, "Not unless you count the sludge news groups already screaming conspiracy, or debating which woman at the table had the largest breasts. You are currently winning, Ashley."

I fought down the urge to slap my face, even as Ash growled, "Do those people have nothing better to do? Here I thought them stalking me on my dates was as low as it would get."

That made me blink and glance at her, "You're dating?"

"I was." She replied, her head shaking, "He couldn't take the public scrutiny, only went on a couple."

Udina growled from somewhere behind us, "If this is going to devolve into personal chatter, I am going to return to my office to manage this crisis. Shepard, Williams, I expect the both of you to be on your best behavior. There will _not_ be another Chora's Den, understand?"

"Yes sir." Ash replied, while I merely made an affirmative sound in my throat. He walked past us, made sure we noticed his disapproving glower, and then stalked out of the room.

Severa moved up on my other side, while I vaguely heard the T'Donna settled into chairs somewhere behind us. "Never liked that man, to be honest."

"I don't think anyone does." I replied, "But he's good at his job, I'll give him that much... not sure how I feel about someone replacing him."

The Turian woman made a deep humming sound, "Considering the two candidates your government is proposing, neither do I."

I frowned and glanced up at her, "Who?"

"Jorge Gunddarsan, a rising star in the Terra Firma party," Her mandibles twitched once, "And Illia Rippon, current ambassador to the Asari Republics."

There was a sound of annoyance from Ash, "So either a hardcore racist who will probably be as much of an obstructionist as he can, or someone who might have been compromised by the Matriarch."

Severa waved a clawed hand, "Or one of a dozen other Asari clans who would all be happy to advance their interests into Alliance space. The woman has three children and four grandchildren, all living on Thessia, any one of them could be seduced and used to pressure her."

"Great." I sighed, reaching up to rub at my forehead, "Ash, you know anything about either of them?"

She shook her head, glancing at her omni-tool as a message came in, "Sorry skipper, I've been trying to keep myself out of politics, even meeting with someone can be taken as support. Only one I really talk to is the Prime Minister... who is on his way here to see you."

I just kind of stared at her, feeling a headache coming on. "Tell me you're joking."

"Sorry," She said again, holding up her wrist so I could read the message. "Christmas Eve with the leader of Humanity."

"Madre de dios..." I bit my tongue before I could keep cursing, or worse, lapse into full-on gutter-speak. I'd been hoping to use that particular holiday, and the day that followed to re-unite with Anderson in the hopes that I could find a way to explain this to him properly. I could take Ash's on-again, off-again anger, and the broken nose she'd given me... but I didn't know if I could take his disappointment.

Severa dipped her head while I stewed, "I have to get back to my ship, there's a few things that require my attention. Contact me if you need me."

We both nodded and she vanished in short order. Ash gave me a hard squeeze on the shoulder, then likewise said her goodbyes before heading out. That left me with three Asari, and a glance showed the two Blades stretching out their legs and reading something together. Leaving them to it, I wandered closer to Liara, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind.

"Still the same thing?" I asked.

"Yes." She replied, resting a hand atop my own, turning just enough to give me a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth. "Spectre law is anything but simple, it will probably take them a few hours just to work those details out, then several more to locate and prepare their political and military correspondents. I would guess that the real coverage will begin sometime tonight."

I closed my eyes in relief, "So we have time for dinner?"

"Of course." Liara twisted in my grip, shifting to face me and give me a more proper kiss before looking over my shoulder. "Will the pair of you be heading back to the ship soon, or did you intend to take the time to explore?"

Illyan's deeper voice replied, "I think we're doing our tourist impression tomorrow, but I can stick around if you two want company."

My wife pulled back from me so that she could plant her hands on her hips and glower at her, "Erana, can you not control your sister?"

The younger sister gave her a disbelieving look, "Father can't control her, or even get her to shut up... What makes you think that I can?"

I tried not to cringe at the idea of someone regarding Kean as a father, and doing so by _choice_ of all things. "You need an escort back to the ship, or can you manage it?"

"We can manage." Erana replied quickly, while her sister rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her tablet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" I gave her a polite nod, then turned to leave with Liara.

We were just about to reach the door when it slid open, and a woman took a half-step back in surprise at seeing us right in front of her. An exclusive media badge was in her right hand, evidently how she'd opened the locked hatch, and she wore a simple women's business suit rather well.

Emily Wong hadn't changed much since I'd last seen her. Her figure a bit less curvacious maybe, and her eyes a bit sunken as though she hadn't been sleeping well, but they were still bright and attentive. "Oh, Commander Shepard. I was just looking for-"

A crack like a gunshot made her flinch and step back again, while I whirled towards the sound, a hand flying to the hold-out pistol in my pocket while my biotics flared to protect me from whatever was attacking us. Liara had already taken two steps away from me, giving us both room to fight or flee, and was glowing with power... though it faded as she focused on what had made the noise.

Illyan T'Donna stared at the two halves of her tablet, sparks flickering a bit from the remains as she pursed her lips.

"What was that?" I asked, knowing I sounded incredulous but not able to help it.

She flicked her blue eyes up at me, and then past me. Beside her, Erana's attention was focused in the same direction, though her expression was... I'd never seen Jacqueline's girlfriend look murderous before, but she looked like she wanted to do nothing more than draw a weapon. Frowning, I turned to look at Miss Wong... and found her pale as a ghost, her eyes wide and terrified as she stared right back at the Blades.

"Illyan." Liara's voice came like a hard whip-crack, "What is this about?"

The built maiden inhaled sharply, flaring her nose a bit, then grabbed onto her crutch and used it to lever herself upright. "Nothing. Just surprised at who you'll let on this station."

Wong blinked, then fear gave immediate way as some kind of spark lit behind her brown eyes. "Yes, I'm surprised they allowed you to dock as well... and I'm even more surprised at the company someone like Commander Shepard is keeping."

Blue lips twisted in a sneer, turning pretty features into something more vicious, "Yeah, she should probably ask for a more _understanding_ reporter to speak with. Maybe Cie could get her _consent_ to let Voya question her, would be good for a few laughs if nothing else."

There was definite sub-text here that I just wasn't getting, but the reference to Chi had to be some kind of threat from the way Wong went from angry right back to frightened.

"Enough!" I stepped between them, and hitting both T'Donna with my best glare. It made them shift their attention to me, but not much more than that. "We've asked you twice now, what is this about?"

"Someone we want nothing to do with." Illyan replied flatly. "We'll be on the ship."

"You are going to-" I started, only for Erana to interrupt me.

"Commander Shepard." She drew herself up to her full height, her youthful features hard as granite. "The matter is private, and we will not share it. Please remove that... _person_ from our way, and we will leave."

I glared at her some more, but knew an immovable object when I saw one. "Miss Wong... please step inside."

She did so, not once looking away from them, as if she expected them to attack her at any moment. In return, they stared right back at her as though her mere presence both angered and disgusted them, and they respectively limped and walked past us and into the hallway. Emily Wong waited for them to go, then seemed to deflate, all but falling into a chair and breathing hard.

"Miss Wong," Liara quickly fell to a knee beside her, gently taking a wrist and checking her pulse. "They've left, whatever they did, they're gone. They won't hurt you."

The woman made a quiet sound. "How long... have you been working with them?"

"Directly?" I asked, remembering the fictional amount of time I'd been 'rehabbing'. "About four months, though by association before that. They're a bunch of assholes, and I don't care for them, but they're helping in areas where we need help."

"That's always what they do." She replied, lifting her eyes and meeting mine. "They're rough, and blunt, but you think they're doing what has to be done, no matter how dark and hard it is. That they're the best option compared to the horrors around them."

I frowned a little, "How do you know them?"

"I..." Wong bowed her head, "When the network wouldn't cover the Terminus War, didn't want to even discuss how bad it was, I quit and went there. I was... I was on Redcliffe, became their local assistant to avoid... something worse. I was with them for the whole campaign."

Liara blinked, surprise radiating from her, "You were? I though I knew all of the old Blades, even their AI," Wong shuddered again, "But they never mentioned you, or even referenced that anyone else was present that I can remember."

"They wouldn't... we... had a falling out, after I agreed to make the documentary on them. I had to finish it, their Illium lawyers would have killed me in court, but..." She seemed to inhale sharply, focusing her attention. "Whatever you do, Shepard, don't fall into their trap. Their monsters as vicious as Aria, or the Blood Pack, or any of the rest. They're just... tidier about it, and better at hiding the bodies."

"I've met Chi." I said quietly. "Kean has told me that he's a monster, he doesn't deny it."

Her head shook a little, "He wouldn't... and have you? Have you seen what she'll do, if he just gives her the word? I have. I wasn't supposed to, Kean wanted to shield me from it... but I did. It was... my God, Shepard, it was like a scene from a horror movie."

"I know." I didn't, but I didn't have any problems guessing. "I'm guessing you won't want anything to do with any of them?"

She shook her head almost at once, "No, no. Who is all present?"

"Kean, Chi, the two T'Donna," I answered, "They'll be the only ones coming onto the station at least. T'Voth and one of their Lancer teams will be staying on the ship. I won't have any of them with me if you're the one doing the private interview tomorrow."

"I am... I am." She repeated, clearly still struggling to get a hold of her emotions. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite expect to see them in person. I'd have thought they'd have left for the ship at once, this isn't exactly the kind of place they'd enjoy being."

Liara frowned, and I could all but read her thoughts. Whatever falling out had happened must have been massively bad because Wong was more or less describing them perfectly so far. She'd known them as more than just an assistant or random hired help, she'd gotten close to them... so what the hell had happened? Both of the T'Donna siblings had been furious to see her, angrier than I'd ever seen either one of them.

Shit, I was suddenly glad as hell that Kean had sent them rather than coming with Chi. _That_ reaction would have probably redefined the words 'diplomatic incident.'

"We were just about to go dinner." My wife provided gently, "Perhaps you would care to join us? We could do the interview over food tonight rather than wait, or at least buy you a glass of wine to settle your nerves."

Emily Wong blinked a few times, then nodded slowly, "That... sounds excellent, Doctor T'Soni. Thank you, I will accept."

We both nodded in return and stepped back, letting her get to her feet in her own time.

Every time I thought I'd started to get a handle on my 'allies', they threw another complication my way. _Every... time_.

Christ but it was getting more than a little old.

* * *

 **Broker Network, Secured Message**

 _Novgorod - Citadel_

 _Iyate: A bit of warning would have been nice._

 _Ghai: You were._

 _Iyate: More than a few days worth love. Watching over the Human and the kid was easy before your lot showed up._

 _Ghai: Issues?_

 _Iyate: She's off on some dinner date with a Spectre, I'm not risking my ass going anywhere near that. The kid and her male... friend or partner or whatever are still at his job. Boring as fuck._

 _Ghai: Paid._

 _Iyate: Fuck credits, why in the goddess's blue ass are_ you _and your little lover not here with the rest of them? You owe me a threesome._

 _Ghai: Occupied, next time._

 _Iyate: You always say that, like you always say you'll fix your damn voice box._

 _Ghai: Drop it._

 _Iyate: Fuck, no. Love, you need to-_

 _\- connection lost -_

* * *

 _ **Next up is Rest, Refit II**_

 _Here we get our first impressions of the Citadel, Shepard's spin on what "happened", and Emily Wong makes her long overdue return to the story. Next chapter will have the Blades enjoying a supervised tour of the Citadel for some more cultural fun and games, Shepard will meet with Anderson and the Alliance PM, and more post-Collector plans will be hammered out._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 _ **Review Responses:**_

 _rfpizzle → Aria didn't give them Redcliffe because she wanted to, she gave it to them because it was something she thought might tie them down and occupy them for a while, and unlike her hidden worlds was fairly expendable. Once it was clear that the Blades were going to loot and abandon it, she had to go back into damage control mode to stop a power vacuum from opening up there. Aria's_ _ _not__ _happy about what Ayle and Cieran did, but she's managing a lot of crisis all at once and something had to give._

 _Seabo76 → There will be more Nikita next chapter._


	41. Operation: Rest, Refit II

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Rest, Refit**

* * *

 **Codex: The Seven Republics**

 _The seven modern Republics are, in order of precedence: Thessia, Cula, Exul, Iosia, Valress, Feahral, and Bessahma. An eighth Republic, Derial, was effectively destroyed during the Rachni wars and its husked worlds were given to the Krogan, and later the Turians. The so-called Dark Republic, Cathia, never actually reached Republic status before seceding. While the following 'traits' are largely stereotypes, there is an element of truth to most of them and serves as a baseline for the kinds of cultures found in each._

 _Thessians are typically stereotyped as the most traditional Asari, who revere the ancient Matriarchs, are fanatical in disdaining 'pureblods', and the most obsessed with political power. They disdain open conflict as 'uncivilized', preferring to act subtly behind the scenes._

 _Culans are the hot-heads, the impatient ones most eager to engage in battle. Their place is on the border with the Terminus leaves them as the most militant of the Republican Asari, and they provide a disproportionate amount of volunteers for the armed services._

 _Exul, closest to the Citadel, are those that aliens most often see. Deceptively casual, they enjoy using charm and grace to trick and beguile others into doing their own work for them. More positively, they also have a reputation for being excellent teachers and guides._

 _Asari from Iosia are most often characterized as the great explorers, those willing to spend years or decades in space. Patient and calm to the point of madness, they are less pleasantly the most racist of Asari, as their remote Republic rarely sees alien visitors._

 _The Valressians hold a blood feud with the Hanar going back centuries, as it is this Republic that is believed to hold the core of the old Prothean Empire. Archeologists and scientists par excellence work beside some of the most elite commando groups in the nation._

 _Quiet Feahral is the youngest Republic, having been settled shortly after the Krogan Rebellions. Tucked against the Galactic Core, they are most often found looking inwards, struggling to maintain a melting pot of Asari cultures always ready to burst._

 _Bessahmaians are often used as the stereotypical poor farmers of the Republics, with their rich-soiled world helping to feed others less fortunate. They enjoy playing up to the hype, especially if allows them to annoy their stuck-up Thessian neighbors._

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Cieran Kean_

 **Date** : 12-22-2184

 _ **Location** : _Presidium, Citadel Station, Widow Nebula

* * *

I slowly tapped against my glass with a single finger, an absent minded rhythm. I hadn't really had any of the drink, and the Asari waitress was still giving me looks indicating she thought I was weird as fuck, but that was easy to ignore compared to the storm whirling around in my skull.

I had a son... one I hadn't really wanted maybe, but a child all the same... and he was on this station. And his mother was terrified of me... or, well, _us_. I supposed I couldn't blame her. I'd spent most of yesterday, and the night before, going over all of the Citadel news coverage of our corporation. Aside from the old documentary, most of it was... not flattering.

Our various battles against Cerberus had often been mistaken for battles against the Corsairs and Alliance, and I didn't doubt that the AIS had done their best to keep that pitch going. After all, unprovoked attacks by mercenaries made them merely look like incompetent victims. If the news got out that a good portion of their private fleet had actually been Cerberus, and taken their orders from Harper for years, they may have seemed more like incompetent traitors.

The withdrawal from the Horizon contract had been portrayed as a bloody massacre, despite the fact that less than fifty people had actually died... and it had been that rat-faced son of a bitch who'd started the fight. Our efforts against the Collectors had been almost entirely considered some kind of protection racket scam up until Shepard's press conference yesterday, and there were still pundits claiming we _obviously_ had to be behind it since everyone _knew_ the Collectors were a myth. We'd put a few recordings of the battle on the extranet, but it would take time for that to gain traction.

And then there was Benihi... the crown jewel of fucked up situations. Gorey images of the executed Asari in the mansion proper, the broken remains of people that Glitch had killed, testimonies from the terrified spaceport employees we'd knocked out, and of course the weeping teenage girls I'd blasted into the river to get the Justicar away for a few precious seconds.

Combine all of that with a recent historical piece on Xenthan Trophy Takers by some Salarian professor, the Republics' increasingly hawkish and anti-Illium mindset, and an Alliance happy to point the finger at a new bogyman in Lady T'Ravt and her allies now that the Hegemony had all but fallen apart...

Emily knew us, at least the old crew, first hand. She knew exactly what we were capable of, if we felt the need, she'd seen plenty of evidence of it on Redcliffe. Whatever sympathies we might have garnered for how awful that campaign had been evidently hadn't held up against the steady pressure of bad press from other sources... she was probably terrified that I had changed my mind, that I was going to try and take Aiden from her while I was here.

It probably hadn't helped that I hadn't even thought to message her with a warning that we were going to be on station, and I could hardly fault her for all but panicking. Especially since Illyan had likely been the absolute worst person for her to run into first, given her memories of my issues on the subject, and the fact that she'd been present for most of the old vid-calls. Emily probably still thought we were together, and had expected the absolute worst from Illyan as a result.

Throw all of that into the water and you had a woman who was probably scared shitless for herself and for her child. Understandable, but that state of mind was not a good one for her to be in... it could easily cause her to do something stupid. Sederis, Lady T'Ravt, my mother, Aethyta... they all knew already, but if Emily panicked... she could reveal it to a larger pool, and that wouldn't be good.

So, I'd asked Shepard to relay a message for me, and then I'd come here to wait at table by myself. Nikita, Tali, and Voya were nearby, seated by a hideous statue of an old Primarch, but had agreed to stay away until this was over with. Shepard and Vasir were also nearby, keeping a lookout for anyone watching or trying to observe the meeting that was about to happen.

As though summoned by my thoughts, quiet footsteps moved past me, and then a slim Asian woman I hadn't seen in very long time took the chair opposite. Her expression was guarded and neutral, but her fingers were pale as they gripped her purse and then folded tightly together as she set it beside her.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice low, lips barely moving. "I'm not changing my mind about exposing Aiden to the life you live. I will _not_ let you near him, no matter what."

"I am not asking you to." I replied quietly, keeping my hands where they were on the table so that she could see them. I had the feeling that if I so much as twitched she'd bolt like a terrified pyjak, or draw whatever weapon she had in her purse. "I wanted to reassure you that I'm not here about that, that I will continue to respect your wishes, and that I won't involve myself."

She blinked and then narrowed her eyes, "You expect me to believe that?"

I nodded slowly, "You have my word on it. I'm here because of the mess with Shepard, and what's going on with the Collectors. Nothing to do with you or yours."

Emily's glare softened microscopically, "Shepard says you're still good to your word."

"I like to believe that I am." I shook my head, "Emily... we're in agreement, the things I'm doing, the life I'm living, there's no place in that. Further, you are... or at least, you were a friend, I don't want to see you get killed simply for being associated with me."

She was silent for several breaths, then shook her head in turn. "I've seen her a few times, the Asari you have watching us. Who is she?"

I fought the urge to grimace. "Someone who should have been better at keeping herself hidden, especially for what we're paying her."

That drew something that was almost a smile, "Perhaps you shouldn't have taught me field-craft on Redcliffe. Still, you wouldn't be meeting me this publicly, giving your word freely, if you didn't want something."

"Yeah." I tapped a finger on the desk, "I would... appreciate it if you stayed on station."

Brown eyes narrowed slightly, "You don't want me to move?"

"I would rather you didn't." I admitted, "Cerberus is still around, and they wouldn't hesitate if they follow the right currents. I have at least one contact here, and I might be able to arrange sanctuary for you in the Turian embassy if it comes to that."

"No... they wouldn't hesitate, not for a moment." She sighed, closing her eyes. "I like my life here, my job, my friends. I don't intend to move or run... and I already have a few boltholes lined up in case we have to flee. I'll keep the Turians in mind, but... I want an honest answer from you on something."

I lifted an eyebrow, "Regarding the lovely reports about what we've been doing?"

A hand shifted as though tossing that aside, "No, I'm an investigative reporter, remember? I know when people are covering their own asses, and I'm sure you think you're doing the best you can in the circumstances you're in, just as you always do. I want to know about Benihi."

I could only sigh. "I had to ignore two reporters demanding to know about Benihi on the walk here... fuck but that shithole is going to haunt me forever."

There wasn't any sympathy in her expression, "Probably. Why did you put those kids in the water?"

"Illyan was down, wounded. Maybe dying." I closed my eyes and hated the graybox and Ghai for letting me remember that perfectly. "Justicar had just beaten the crap out of me, was about to execute me. Needed something to get her off of me long enough to get to Illyan, and get us onto the shuttle. Saw them by the shore and took a chance."

"So you fired a concussion round, broke most of the ribs of a teenage Asari, and sent her and her girlfriend into rapids rated as highly dangerous." She replied, not changing her tone in the slightest.

"Yeah." I exhaled the word. "I did. Got the short bitch off of me, let me, Illyan, and several others escape. Justicar saved the maidens, all of us survived. I took that as a win considering how shitty that day had gone."

Emily regarded me for a few more silent breaths, then shook her head and rose from her seat. "You haven't changed at all, have you? Thank you for meeting with me, and... clarifying everything. Please warn me the next time you intend to visit this station so it is less of a shock. If I see Illyan or Voya anywhere near me, I am calling C-Sec."

I rose politely as well and dipped my head, "I understand."

She gave me a microscopic nod, picked up her purse, and then left without another word. I didn't watch her go, instead electing to finally down my drink. It burned pleasantly, and I left a high denomination chit on the table before I left as well.

A short walk carried me to where two Quarian and one Human woman were sitting, the former two ceasing some kind of argument as I drew closer.

"Nikita?" I asked as Voya stood, quickly moving to take a spot beside me. "What did you find out?"

The one-time private eye rolled a shoulder and rose as well, turning to help Tali do the same. "About what Shepard thought. She's seeing a psychological counselor every other week, and is living with her business partner, sister, and son in a high class place in Tayseri Ward. Sludge news says she's got severe PTSD from her time in the Terminus, hates being alone, and obsesses over her kid. They like to run articles about how she's cracked every now and then."

"Usually," Tali provided, her voice low, "Whenever she releases a popular new documentary and they feel the need to disparage her."

I snorted, "Typical... probably explains some of her reaction to seeing us, brought back memories she'd rather not deal with."

Voya made a scoffing sound, but I found my eyes narrowing as I watched her head slowly turn as she tracked a target. I didn't need to look to know that she was watching the reporter, and lifted a hand to block her vision. That made her growl and bat my limb away, though she did turn around all the same. Tali watched us, shaking her head a little as she did.

"Are you going to explain what any of this was about?"

My head shook, "No. It's personal between her and the old guard, nothing any of you need to worry about."

Nikita pursed her lips, her posture shifting subtly, her voice cooling as her cynic took the helm. "Shepard says she was really upset yesterday, and she didn't look good today either."

When I simply shrugged, Tali narrowed her eyes further, "It doesn't bother you that your friend is like that? You don't want to help her?"

"She's made it clear she isn't our friend, not anymore." I replied simply. "And I'm not Shepard, I don't offer advice unless requested."

The Quarian woman simply shook her head, while Voya let out an impatient mewl. "If we are done concerning ourselves with the idiot, can we please go somewhere more pleasant? If I have to show my pass to one more racist C-Sec _keshin_ I'm going to shoot someone."

Nikita snorted while Tali muttered about it being the end times when she agreed with anything coming out of Voya's mouth. That would have normally drawn some kind of smart-ass comment from my lover, but at the moment she seemed far more concerned about me than her petty rivalry. She slid closer to me while the other women moved ahead, leading us to a nearby lift that would supposedly take us down into the wards.

"Are you all right?" She asked.

"As all right as I ever am when this comes up." I answered honestly. "We can talk about it later."

By later, I meant never, and from the way her eyes narrowed she knew it. But since this was hardly the time or place for her to push the issue, she let it drop, simply staying close as we walked in the opposite direction from where Emily had gone. Shepard and Vasir would probably tail her for a while, if just to make sure no one else was, then run off and do whatever is was that they were doing today.

They hadn't said and I hadn't cared enough to ask. So far as I knew I had another six, at a minimum, droll days on this station... probably closer to ten, if not even longer. From what Sparatus' office had told me, ExoGeni was already trying to throw out an anchor or ten to slow the proceedings down, demanding more time to prepare their defense. I was more worried about the other detail that the aide had dropped, indicating that it had been a unanimous vote to wave off ExoGeni's extension requests.

Either Tevos and Valern had their own reasons for wanting to see ExoGeni humbled, or they had their own reasons for wanting to hear the case immediately. If the former, great. If the latter...

I rubbed at my face tiredly as we reached the elevator, the four of us easily sliding in before Nikita thumbed the appropriate level. She noticed my expression as she did and lifted an eyebrow, "You all right, Ciarán?"

"Politics." I replied disgustedly.

"Ah." She nodded sagely, "I am really glad that is all above my paygrade."

I muttered darkly about her being a lucky bitch, which made her smirk as we plummeted downwards. After a few seconds the car seemed to shift, all of us adjusting our stances with quiet noises, and I realized we'd probably just left the Presidium ring and entered one of the arms. Perhaps a minute after that we slowed down considerably, then the doors sprang open with a quiet chime.

It opened on Zakera Ward, specifically a shop filled street that was... reasonably occupied. Not as packed as anywhere I had seriously lived, not even Nos Astra, but even the first couple of steps out caused me to relax slightly. There was steady hum of conversation, the floors and walls were scuffed and worn, and the area had that comfortable lived-in feeling entirely lacking from the oppressive cleanliness of the Presidium.

"Better." Voya hummed, her own head swinging around as our guides waited for our opinions. "Not great, but better."

I made a quiet sound of agreement, grateful for anything to distract me from thinking about the offspring I hadn't asked for or desired, the issues with his mother, and from the morass of Council politics that awaited me. "Wander?"

She nodded firmly and the four of us set out to meander around.

The locals took note of us, but not nearly to the degree that everyone upstairs had. While those snobs had looked down their noses at us in disgust and arrogant superiority, utterly unconcerned that we were lethal mercenaries, the people of Zakera Ward were far more prudent. We drew curious but cautious glances, focused more on our armor, weapons, and the fact that Voya and Tali were both Quarians... and both were constantly sniping at one another. 'Inbred', 'Bitch', 'Princess', and 'Psychopath' seemed like they compromised the entirety of their vocabularies, and they made little effort to keep their voices down.

Against the pair of them, Nikita and I were practically invisible, which was a very pleasant change of pace even from back home.

Regardless, we were mostly given a wide berth and shrugs before people continued on with their day. We went through a few simple stores, mostly to compare them with what we were more familiar with, and generally found the variety to be lacking, the cost high, but the quality far and above what we were used to seeing. In some ways it was like shopping on Illium, just with far fewer Asari and far more aliens, and each group seemed to have their own preferences in regards to stores.

That there was a wide variety of species present also helped keep the edge off, especially in comparison to the Human-dominated colonies that had been my only other practical exposure to 'civilized' society. But even so... there wasn't much mingling. You might have had Asari, Turians, Salarians, and Humans wandering about in good numbers, but they almost universally seemed to go into stores and restaurants dominated by their own species. I saw what might have been a few mixed-species partnerships, or at least friendships, but they were by far and away the exception. It seemed far less of a melting pot and far more of an area that different groups were co-inhabiting.

"That's how things are here." Nikita provided when I asked about that, the pair of us leaning against a wall in a weapons' shop while Voya and Tali browsed the shelves. "Everyone's really touchy about defending their own culture."

I felt myself grimace, "You mean even the civilians feel like they need to play politics?"

"Welcome to the Citadel." She replied dryly, "You don't want to know how many applications and forms you have to go through to move here, or how many times you're reminded that you're representing your species."

My eyes rolled, "Athame's ass... here I hoped the Wards would be less uptight."

She grinned a little, "By Omega's standards, I'm pretty sure even the worst parts of the Warrens are uptight."

That was probably true. In the two hours we'd been walking I hadn't seen so much as a single drug den, brothel, gang patrol, shake-down, drug deal, murder, or even so much as a drunken brawl. Of course even as I contemplated the fact that seeing most of those during a typical day was fairly normal and unexceptional, one of them seemed to become more likely than not as our companions started up a new argument.

Well, as Voya did, anyway, though it took Tali all about three seconds to start responding in kind.

"And..." I tilted my head, watching as the two snarled at each other near the front counter. "...Tali _wanted_ to come with? Knowing that Voya would be along?"

Nikita, leaning against the wall beside me, shrugged, her emotional side making her voice soft, "She prefers to have at least one other Quarian around, especially since she's been all but exiled. Even bitchy terrifying little sadistic ones."

I snorted, "Don't let her hear you talking like that unless you want to fight her. She's average height and proud of it."

The tanned woman rolled her eyes. "You mean sensitive about it."

"Same thing really." I replied, smiling a little as the Turian cashier stared uncomprehendingly as the two Quarians shifted from personal insults to a technical argument about the shotgun that they'd been examining.

Nikita watched them as well, shaking her head a little, "I don't know what is more sad. That Voya hates her so much that she's trying to goad her into doing something stupid, or that Tali is so stubborn and miserable that she's putting up with it just for the company."

I frowned a little, "Why didn't she just stay on the ship? Given how much C-Sec and the locals seem to like Quarians I doubt she really wants to be wandering around."

My fellow experiment shrugged, her voice still gentle and almost sad. "The _Normandy_ is in good enough shape that she doesn't really need to do any engineering work, she's already done all the busy-work she can on her equipment... so she has all the time in the world to pace the deck worrying, stare at messages from the Flotilla, and become annoyed when Shep and Lawson bombard her about the situation. Getting constantly insulted is at least distracting."

"Huh."I offered, tilting my head a little as I thought on that. It certainly explained why she'd drank herself into a stupor, twice, on the way here. "Here I thought she just wanted to be around you."

Nikita opened her mouth, blinked a couple of times, and then found her words, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

I tilted my head in the other direction to show surprise, "That you keep staring at her?"

"She's my friend and I'm worried about her." She retaliated.

My lips twitched on one side, "You seem awfully worried about a specific part of her."

Her eyes narrowed, her voice lowering, "I am _not_ staring at Tali's ass."

I lifted an eyebrow, "I never said what part of her you were staring at."

"I... I..." She seemed to suck in a breath, "I hate you."

I beamed at her, it had been far too long since I'd needled someone like this. "If it's too distracting maybe we could buy her a coat, maybe a little half-cape? Of course she might ask why you're doing such a thing, I'd be happy to explain if you can't get the words out."

That earned me a growling sound and some teeth grinding, but she refused to engage, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. She gave me another glare, then turned away, then almost immediately turned again after she evidently realized she was looking at Zorah again. I was still in a pleasantly amused mood when the other two returned, Tali silent and Voya's posture practically broadcasting her self-satisfaction.

Our walk resumed with a more open distance between our little pairings, though I didn't miss Nikita's increasing awkwardness with how close Tali liked to walk beside her.

Voya noticed as well, "What did you say to her?"

"Pointed out something she didn't realize she was doing." I said, "In the fashion that brought me the most amusement."

She made a frustrated little sound, "And you didn't wait until I could hear?"

"Next time," I promised, "I'll do it while you're around to listen."

"You'd better." She sniffed, tilting her helmet back to make it clear she'd turned up her tiny nose at me. It made me smile in bemusement; only Voya could say that in fashion to let you know that she _meant_ it as a threat, and I knew that she absolutely would make me regret it if I didn't remember.

I might have responded verbally, but I noticed a store just ahead. Voya noticed my attention and let out a plaintive mewl, "Cie, you have enough."

"No such thing." I replied dismissively, flicking a hand and already heading in that direction. My lover made a disgusted sound, but I heard her follow. Our guides noticed that we'd veered off and started to double-back, but I had already stepped into the book store before they could catch up.

A middle-aged African woman was seated behind a counter inside, and she blinked in surprise as a chime sounded. She wore a casual business suit, though it seemed worn and a bit old, and a glance around the small store revealed no other customers.

"Welcome sir." She gave my armor and weapon a glance, then noticed Voya come in behind me, and swallowed uncertainly. I could practically see her nerves fight a brief war with the need for sales, lose horribly, and she quickly plastered on a polite smile. "Ma'am."

Voya tipped her head slightly, glanced around, found a cozy chair next to a tiny table near the wall opposite the counter, and walked over to settle into it.

"Do you have historical books?" I asked, glancing around as I did.

"Um," The woman glanced at my companion, then blinked again when Nikita and Tali walked in. "Yes, sir. Back shelves."

I dipped my head a bit to the left in polite acceptance and headed in that direction. She'd organized them by age rather than by continent or nation, which made it easy to locate the selection she had from the age of sail. It was all Human history, or at least mostly, which was a little disappointing, but a few seemed to have been written recently by Asari and Turians seeking to learn about the history of the newcomers. I perused them lazily, half-listening as Voya explained my and Erana's obsession with physical books on bluewater navies.

"Matriach T'Fer..." I picked out one that had a Spanish warship on half the cover, an Asari war galleon on the other. Evidently it was a comparison between that historical Human realm and a similar one that had expanded over Thessia before collapsing.

Nodding in approval, I rolled my wrist and offered the book to the air on my right. "Hold this?"

There was a manifestly disappointed sound before Kasumi Goto flickered into existence, pulling down her mesh-like mask. "What gave me away?"

"Elevator." I told her as she took the book, "You bumped me when it was from vertical to horizontal. Leg still a problem?"

She sighed, "Less my leg, more my back. Balance is still off."

I hummed, glancing over titles, "Done with the painkillers at least?"

" _Hai."_ She replied, "That's something, at least. Not a fan of drugs."

"Me either." My fingers plucked out another, co-written between some professor and T'Fer, an analysis of Trafalgar. Erana already had two on that battle, but an Asari perspective might be interesting, so I handed that one to the thief as well. "Did you listen in to the conversation at the restaurant?"

Kasumi gave me an askance look, "People never say anything interesting in public."

I felt my lips purse a little, my eyes narrowing as I turned to give her my whole attention. "Kasumi..."

"I like knowing secrets, not telling them." She replied defensibly, though her tone softened as she continued., "But I don't think it's going to stay quiet for long. Liara-kun will know as soon as she can ask her Otōsan, and then Shepard will know. I... don't think it will help her opinion of you."

It probably wouldn't. The locked cage in the back of my head where I had shoved my thoughts on the subject rattled. I ignored it in favor of continuing to inspect books. I picked out another three, took the two back from Kasumi, and head back to pay for them.

Kasumi's unexplained presence drew confused gaping from the cashier, and then the five rather thick history books that I dropped onto the counter with a loud thud drew even more. She scanned them a shade too quickly, either nervous about us or nervous that I wouldn't actually pay, I wasn't sure. I didn't even glance at the total in favor of pulling out credit chit, setting it to a thousand with a flick of my omni-tool, and then placing it in front of her.

"A... chit?" She blinked, cautiously reaching out to take it. "I don't know if we accept these."

I blinked back at her, "It's in standard credits, why wouldn't you?"

Brown eyes glanced at me, "Everyone pays with a link, don't you have an account?"

I had a good three dozen, on Illium, Cathia, and Omega, but I vastly preferred cash. Behind me, I heard Tali sigh and stand up, walking over. "You can drain the chit to your account, miss. I can show you."

The woman bit her lip, then hesitantly nodded. It took them about a minute, mostly because Tali was clearly trying to not make the woman think she was going to steal her bank accounts or something. Eventually they managed it, and the woman's eyes all but bugged out of her head. "Sir, that's five hundred too much."

"Eh?" I glanced at the total. "Huh, cheaper than I'm used to. Oh well, Consider it a tip."

Her mouth hung open as I grabbed the heavy bag, tipped my head again, then headed for the door as everyone else moved to follow. Kasumi had already vanished again, but even as I watched Nikita abruptly snapped an arm around, hooking as though she was threading it around someone else's arm. There was a defeated sigh and the thief re-appeared once more, accepting walking arm in arm while the Detective began interrogating her as to how long she'd been following us.

Tali lingered while Voya tried to glance into the bag, curious in spite of her lack of interest. "Back to the ship?"

I made to offer her the bag, "Unless you would care to carry the bag, your highness?"

A glowing eye seemed to twitch. "... _keshin._ "

* * *

 **Codex: Emily Wong**

 _A former investigative reporter for the Citadel Daily News Network, Emily Wong resigned her lucrative position after being ordered to cease pushing for coverage of the ongoing Terminus War. Gifting her expensive home in Tayseri Ward to her younger sister, she vanished into the war-torn region, determined to record the cost of the conflict._

 _Reaching Redcliffe on the eve of the Xenthan invasion, she managed to attach herself to the Silver Blade commando unit as a local guide and assistant. Later, she would arrange to produce a documentary on the small unit's experiences in the war. While the documentary itself did not receive much public interest outside of Illium, the technical skill and depth with which it was done interested several production studios._

 _A second documentary on the war as a whole was quickly payed for by a Turian corporation, who provided military veterans as analysts and interview subjects. Released in several parts, it quickly became immensely popular in the Hierarchy, and later the Alliance and even the Traverse. A third set of films, covering both sides of the First Contact War and managing to not grossly offend either, cemented her status as the authority in the field._

 _She currently lives upon the Citadel with her young son and sister, along with her primary business partner. Her studio is currently working on two historical pieces, one investigating the collapse of the Quarian Federation, and a second whose focus has not yet been revealed._

* * *

 **The Shepard**

 _Kaya Shepard_

 **Date** : 12-24-2184

 **Location** _:_ Silversun Strip, Zakera Ward, Citadel Station, Widow Nebula

* * *

I didn't think that my meeting with Prime Minister Shastri, occurring with the two of us sitting at Anderson's poker table, would go down in history... but stranger things had happened.

He was aging, but far more gracefully than most politicians of his rank tended to. His Indian features were only slightly lined with stress marks, and while his hair was graying it still had bits and pieces of black to show that he wasn't yet among the ranks of the elderly. Dark green eyes were piercing, as if he could simply assess a person with a glance, and his elegant suit probably cost more than most sets of armor.

"Interesting." His accent was that of Oxford, with only the lightest affections of his home nation coloring the ends, "You are far more battered in person than you were on the broadcast. Your eyes, especially."

I exhaled slowly, "Yes sir. The rebuild was... close to total."

"So I had assumed." He replied, glancing to his left, where Anderson was standing beside the artificial fireplace. "Yourself and Udina are sure that she is... well, herself?"

"Yes." The Admiral replied, turning to face us directly. "As isher wife. She's herself, with no hypnotics or anything else."

"I see." Humanity's political leader shifted back in his posture, doing so slowly as he returned his attention to me. "That certainly complicates things. A thrall would have been something we could dismiss as tragedy, a living martyr, and a fraud could have been disposed of and inspired us to greater efforts at removing Cerberus."

I felt my temper spike, though I kept my voice even, "I apologize for being brought back and inconveniencing you."

"Apology accepted." He replied grandly. I was about to blow up before I saw the amusement in his eyes, and I realized that he was teasing me. "I mean no disrespect, Commander, I only state that this is already a difficult situation, and it is likely to become even more so. The political situation on Arcturus was in turmoil even before your press conference."

"Oh." I forced myself to calm down a little, shaking my head. "Are you likely to lose your position?"

"No, if only because we have already worked out a compromise." There was a decided grimace as he spoke, "The Conservatives will lose our majority, and will have to create a coalition government with Terra Firma. I have struck an arrangement where I will continue to act as the Prime Minister in exchange for ensuring that their candidate for Councilor replaces Udina."

Anderson sighed, "Cutting deals before the election?"

Shastri spread his hands, "The agreement will be reversed should they win more seats, but I view that as unlikely."

From the way Anderson sighed, I knew he'd been objecting to the ethics of such an arrangement more than the details. I didn't doubt that Shastri knew as much but wasn't about to let this meeting devolve into a conversation on mere morals, not when there were practical details to be discussed.

"You, Commander," He continued, "Are a divisive figure now more than ever. Your actions as a Spectre did not endear you to many in the Admiralty, or Terra Firma, or even members of my own party."

I forced myself to respond evenly as the old argument returned, "Spectres serve the _Council_ , not just the Alliance. I chose missions that actually helped people. If Vancouver got upset that I wasn't cleaning up their dirty secrets that's their fault for having them in the first place."

Shastri grimaced, "That may be factual, proper, and correct, but such things have little bearings upon politics. As far as the common citizen could see, you preferred to save alien lives rather than Human ones, and they had ample statements from politicians and military officers condemning your priorities.

"That-" Anderson began.

"And," The Prime Minister interrupted him easily, continuing, "Your aversion to publicity and to the media may have earned you points with the old guard of the Navy, but it crippled you in the sense that few heard your side of things. These past few days were a good start but far more will be required."

I winced. "You want me to become a celebrity?"

"Want? No." He replied, "Personally I have a great deal of respect for your integrity, and your preference for privacy. Need? Unfortunately. I will not ask you to kowtow to the General Staff in Vancouver, but I will attempt to pick out a few assignments for you to undertake after these Collectors are dealt with."

Anderson sighed, "You want her to support the Seventh fleet in the Traverse?"

There was a nod, his hands folding together. "I am sure that our new Councilor will see little problems with utilizing both yourself and Commander Williams to operate near the Verge. There are numerous splinter groups from the Hegemony who have decided that piracy and slaving are excellent ways to supplement their income."

"And the Reapers, and Leviathans?" I pressed. "I don't mind the notion of taking on people like that, but not if it means the real threats are going to be ignored."

"You will have ample opportunity to investigate the former." He assured me, "The latter I am not yet convinced are what the Warlords claim them to be. I have asked people I trust in the AIS to investigate and they have not turned up anything that cannot be explained by factional infighting or Reaper involvement."

I frowned, "What about all the intel that I passed on from the SBC?"

Shastri's expression became carefully neutral, "Shepard, I am entirely aware that the good press you gave them was entirely fictional. The Blades have an agenda, regardless of if they admit it, and I would not put it past them to exaggerate or obfuscate the truth to paint them in a better light."

"I wouldn't either," I replied, "But it's not just the Blades. All three major warlords, the Migrant Fleet, Cerberus, and the Blades have all reported similar encounters."

"That may be," He allowed, "And I accept that a conspiracy on that scale is impractical, but are you sure that this Leviathan is not simply a rogue Reaper? One perhaps more clever than the others?"

That... made me sit back a little, frowning.

"Your scans of the Ilos system revealed thousands of dead Reapers," The PM continued, "You must admit that it is entirely possible that there are only a handful of the machines left, and that they are uncertain as to their ability to beat us conventionally as they did the Protheans. That would explain their alliance with the Geth, this quiet campaign of the Collectors... and it would explain this Leviathan."

Given what information we had, that... made some degree of sense, but it was also the best case scenario. It made the dangerous assumptions that A; there few enough Reapers left that we could fight them, B; that the Reapers were not a united front, and C; that there was only one Leviathan, or at least not more than a handful. Reasonable assumptions maybe, given the lack of evidence in either direction, but extremely dangerous all the same. Especially since I could well imagine that people would start contemplating the divide and conquer angle, maybe trying to make a deal with the Leviathans.

Which, if Kean and the others were right, was exactly what the ancient creatures wanted.

"I think," I spoke slowly and cautiously, "That we should operate under the worst case scenario, not the best case."

Shastri regarded me stoically, "We barely have the political support for the best case, nevermind anything worse. Primarch Fedorian may be able to dictate policy by fiat, but we are a democracy, and elements of transparency are required. Giving you some degree of freedom to locate more evidence against the Reapers in between more immediate assignments is likely the best that I can do."

Grimacing, I glanced at Anderson. His scowl became something more severe, he didn't like this anymore than I did, but he gave me a tiny shake of his head. Now wasn't the time to push, apparently.

So instead of arguing, I simply said, "I understand sir."

The politician wasn't so naive to think that I'd given in, but he accepted the temporary concession in favor of moving on, "There are the matters of your current allies to discuss as well. Your official statements aside, there are a great number of old Cerberus elites still missing in action. That is especially ominous given the 'new Cerberus' manifesto the AIS copied, penned by one Miranda Lawson."

Christ, I'd been hoping to avoid that subject. "What are you asking in specific, sir?"

"That woman is a terrorist, responsible for killing more than two dozen AIS agents." He informed me, his voice as flat and hard as his eyes, his amiable mask vanishing. "More than a hundred civilians, and is believed to be behind several assassinations and abductions of both Humans and aliens alike. Capturing her would be a massive political coup for you, and would do a great deal to improve your image. Now, where... is... she?"

"I do not know, sir." I replied, lying through my teeth and hating myself for it. Miranda was... someone who deserved to be brought to justice, yes, but... I'd gotten to know her. Hell, I'd started to _like_ her, far more than Kean. The two were a lot alike, but she at least had an admirable end goal. I thought she could be... well, redeemed in a way. She regretted much of what she'd done, and I believed she could use her organization and skills without resorting to the kinds of tactics she'd once had to.

I thought she believed and wanted the same. Turning her in and locking her away may have been the right thing to do, but... it wouldn't be the right thing to do. Prison wouldn't rehabilitate her, it would just imprison a woman already trying to correct her own mistakes.

"The SBC has been working with a splinter faction of Cerberus," I continued, bending the truth just as I had at the press conference, "But their main liaison is a woman named Kelly Chambers."

The Prime Minister stared at me, his lips compressing. "Shepard, where is Miranda Lawson?"

I said nothing, simply folding my hands together on the top of the table and meeting his gaze evenly.

There was an angry exhalation as he rose, pushing his chair back. "Very well. I have a meeting with Udina and will be on station for three more days. Contact my office if you wish to remember where you misplaced a terrorist leader."

I rose politely, but he had already turned away, the door opening to allow the chatter of my team enjoying a Christmas feast outside. Then he was gone, leaving me to slump in my chair and groan, while Anderson silently walked over to the room's small bar. He returned a minute later with a bottle of scotch and a pair of shot glasses.

While he threw his back, I merely sipped at mine, preferring to enjoy the flavor. Since I couldn't get drunk, or even buzzed, the flavor was really all I had.

Liara cautiously peeked into the room, then entered when she saw the two of us simply sitting. "How did it go? He gave away nothing when he left"

"Better than I thought, worse than I hoped." I sighed. "He was mostly supportive, but I don't like what I was reading between the lines."

Anderson grimaced, poured himself another shot, and then tossed it down. "He's willing to compromise on the matter of the Reapers, but only because he wants to control you in the same fashion as Admiral Mannfeld wishes to control Williams."

I shook my head, "He really thinks there's just a couple of Reapers left, that they aren't a threat?"

"He believes that there are just a few Reapers left, but that they are a threat." He answered, "Because that is what his intelligence advisers believe, and they don't even want to hear the word Leviathan spoken. They're far more worried about how to handle the aftermath of a second conflict similar to the Geth War."

Liara shook her head tiredly, "My father said as much, but... I guess we had hoped that was merely external politics, that he knew better personally."

"We can discuss that later." Anderson shook his head before I could open my mouth to second her opinion, "It's Christmas Eve, and we've done enough work for a holiday."

I smiled a little, "I'll drink to that."

We all did, then rose before heading back to join everyone else.

Anderson, the good man that he was, hadn't even given me the chance to ask if I should bring anyone else with, instead openly inviting my entire ground team. Then he'd gone ahead and invited several of his own old friends with, leaving his apartment filled with the brass of the 'old guard', C-Sec officers both Human and Turian, along with their families.

Garrus and Ash were holding court at the bar, along with Joker, James, a pair of old Turians in C-Sec finery, and a quartet of old men and women in Alliance uniforms. They were all several drinks in and were debating about the worst planets they'd ever crash landed on. Garrus' vote for Omega was considered and then denied on the grounds that it wasn't a planet while we walked past, leaving one of his fellow Turians to start advocating for Tuchanka.

The living room was a bit quieter, which was surprising considering that Jacqueline was present. Of course the fact that she had Erana T'Donna seated beside her on the couch, the young Asari wearing a conservative black dress in stark contrast to Jack's fatigue pants, boots, and casual jacket, was probably inspiring her restraint. The pair were engaged in quiet conversation with Kahlee Sanders, Admiral Hackett, and Kara, my doppleganger having gone all-out in an effort to avoid being mistaken for me.

She'd dyed her hair a shade of burnt red, added a temporary henna-style tattoo running along her left jawline and down her throat, a pair of brown contacts, and a casual blouse and skirt. There wasn't much she could do about her voice, but at least know she looked more like a sibling instead of like my twin. Others, mostly the teenaged and adolescent children of the officers lingering around, openly lingered near them, listening as they compared various places they'd lived.

Anderson gave me an encouraging smile before wandering over to join his... girlfriend? Lover? Platonic friend? I honestly wasn't sure and hadn't wanted to ask. Either way he settled in beside the head of Grissom Academy, and was almost immediately accosted by Jacqueline demanding some of his booze.

To my intense surprise, Mordin was actually at the piano, playing something slow moving and gentle, his broad eyes closed as if in remembrance. Grunt all but loomed over him, his broad head tilted to tell me that he was paying extremely close attention to what the old Doctor was doing. I'd have been more worried if I hadn't seen Kara glancing that way, telling me she was keeping an eye on the young Krogan for all our sakes.

Liara either felt my hunger through the bond, or just knew me well enough, and guided me into the kitchen. Christmas dinner may have already come and gone, but I'd only taken a normal portion so as not to seem... well, like the freak that I was. As a result, I was still more than a little hungry.

Tali, Nikita, and Kasumi had more or less claimed the kitchen for themselves, mostly by dint of volunteering to clean the dishes and put the considerable leftovers away. Well, the first two had, Kasumi was more or less stuck alongside as they had evidently appointed themselves to be her escort. The thief had promised me that she wouldn't snoop around, but it didn't seem like the other two women had believed her.

"Shep." Nikita greeted, already holding a plate full of food for me. "Thought you might come around for seconds."

"Thank you." I replied, trying not to look too eager as I accepted it. She'd loaded it with two lobster tails, a sirloin, and probably a full pound of vegetables. Excusing myself, I wandered to the nearest table and sat down, Liara following and settling down across from me. Though where I had a full plate of food, she had a dainty little slice of french silk pie.

"How's the party going?" I asked, starting on my steak.

"Pleasantly." Liara smiled, turning to look as Kasumi resumed describing an old heist while Nikita tried to think of ways that she could have caught her if she'd been there. Tali, who was half a bottle of Turian brandy past buzzed, merely giggled and held herself against a counter. "Though I am worrying about Tali."

"Yeah..." I shook my head in between bites.

Tali wasn't doing well. It had gotten to the point where _Kean_ had felt the need to warn me that she was on the fast-track to alcoholism. This morning's message from home, indicating that her father had disinherited her, hadn't helped at all. She'd seemed to take it well, as if expecting the news, but as soon as we'd gotten here she'd gone straight for the liquor and hadn't stopped.

"She's confusing Chi, as well." My wife continued, "By continuing to linger nearby, despite her best efforts to drive Tali away. I expect her to either break down and accept Tali as something like a friend, or she is going to snap and try to murder her."

I put my fork down, exhaling slowly, "Yeah... and the latter is more likely than the former. I'm not sure how to help either."

Familial problems were definitely an area that I had attempted to avoid, largely with great success. If Tali wanted my advice on how to get Chi to shut up, on how she should approach peace with the Geth, I would be more than happy to help. Helping Tali deal with the fact that her father was a complete and total _jackass_ was... less in my wheelhouse. I didn't want to help her accept things, I wanted to beat the man within an inch of his worthless life.

"Kaya..." Liara's voice was low and warning, and I realized that my biotics had started to make static flicker around my hands.

I let out a slow breath, and cut into my steak only a little more viciously than necessary, using the familiar motions to try and calm myself down. Parental and family issues always hit me harder than anything else. I couldn't remember my parents, but my... no, this wasn't the time.

I went through the steak, one of my tails, and about half of the greenery before I was relaxed enough to speak evenly. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." She assured me, reaching out to wrap warm fingers around my hand. "I know. You still need to talk with her."

My eyes closed as I breathed, "I don't know if I can help her."

"You helped me." Liara reminded, her voice gentle. "After Noveria."

I... supposed that I had. "I'll try, when we get back. For now I think we need to cut her off."

There was a nod of agreement, "I'll ask Nikita when I get another slice of pie, now finish your dinner dear."

I glowered at her, "Really?"

She smiled and patted my hand as she rose, though I noticed a tinge of color on her cheeks. "You'll need the energy for your... I believe the term is 'Christmas Present'."

I needed a moment, then felt my face flush, " _Liara._ "

* * *

 **Codex: Traverse Pirates**

 _Pirates who call the Attican Traverse home are a different breed than those who hail from the Terminus. They are far more often loners, operating single ships rather than massed flotillas, preferring to hunt down vulnerable ships discharging rather than attempting to attack colonies directly. Safe harbors to sell their loot are few and far between, and change constantly as Council operations remove them._

 _A great many strike deals with smaller colonies, where they defend that world against rival operators, and sell the loot they gain upon it. They must, however, be extremely careful in how long they linger, and how public they are, lest they draw Alliance or Council attention upon themselves._

 _What few 'Warlords' who operate in the region are the classic 'pirate kings'. Calling no world their own, they operate in migratory battle-fleets that survive by striking and fading before they can be pinned down by national forces. A few strike deals with the Hegemony, Cessa, or Xenthan Empire for safe harbor, though the mutual lack of trust means this is usually a desperation move._

 _Those few efforts to see Terminus-style nation states have been universally met by Council 'expeditionary forces' consisting of Turian warships, STG teams, and Spectres who waste little time in destroying such efforts and then withdrawing before the Terminus can consider involving itself._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Operation: Rest, Refit III**_

 _The conversation with Emily wasn't originally planned, but since so many of you took note of her in the last chapter it seemed appropriate to resolve that a bit more openly. Beyond that, we have a few more signs that Cieran isn't as collected as he would like to be, that Tali is having a lot of issues, and that Shepard may not be looking forwards to her return to the SA after this mission._

 _Next chapter will return us to the SR-2, to see how Miranda is doing cooped up on the ship, and then we'll bounce over to Voya for the Exo-Geni issue and its aftermath. That will likely be it for this sojourn on the Citadel, with the fourth chapter covering their return trip to Novgorod and updates on how the Broker team is doing taking a look at the IFF._

 _After that... we may have a fifth chapter, but far more likely we'll jump right into a couple of interludes that will run us up to the final operation of this story._

 _Addendum; for those interested, I have a map of the galaxy in 2187 up on my deviant art page. It's not the best, but it gives the general idea of where the major players are. I'll probably add another later that marks major planets. (For those who saw the old one, I updated it with a vastly improved version)_

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 _ _ **Review Responses:**__

 _ _Regarding Emily; think most of that should have been answered in this chapter.__

Marcusss → If he was on Earth he probably wouldn't be considered all that odd for his hairstyle, no. The Citadel is a bit different though, and not really all that multicultural, especially in the Presidium. Most of the Humans who live up there, who can /afford/ to live up there, are either military, government, rich, or the families of the same. The teenagers he ran into were from the kind of school that could afford to send kids on a field trip half-way across the galaxy... so again, very rich, very proper.

Reviewbot589 → Iyate is Ghai's old partner in assassination, first referenced in Arrival, but her only real appearance was in Chevalier's act 2 where she had a vid-call with Ghai.


	42. Operation: Rest, Refit III

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

Hopefully everyone gets this on time, evidently the alerts and website are kind of screwed up right now.

* * *

 **Operation: Rest, Refit**

* * *

 _ **Communications Log – Afterlife**_

 _Aria T'Loak: So, they are even after you._

 _Cessa T'Auriel: Indeed. It was rather annoying, all things considered. I doubt that it will be the only effort._

 _Aria T'Loak: Likely not, I have already dealt with two more attempts to smuggle orbs onto my station._

 _Cessa T'Auriel: And the odds that there is at least one orb on Omega regardless of your efforts?_

 _Aria T'Loak: Higher than I would like. I am sending you the schematics for our indoctrination scanner, your... beau will carry them back._

 _Zaeed Massani: Beau? What the fuck, that supposed to be a goddamn compliment or more bitchy sarcasm?_

 _Aria T'Loak: Your tastes have not improved in the past centuries._

 _Cessa T'Auriel: You are hardly one to talk, but this is a business call. In addition to these... Leviathans, Tirravan and Kilika are becoming restless. The Alliance is not assisting with their latest provocations in the Traverse._

 _Aria T'Loak: And? You wish me to yank their leashes? My influence over those fools is limited at this distance._

 _Cessa T'Auriel: I ask for effort, not for results. That entire region is about to destabilize entirely, if I am not misreading the Hegemony's internal shaking, and your allowing the mercenaries to enter the area may not help._

 _Aria T'Loak: Perhaps, perhaps not. A safety valve for refugees may give us a means to utilize them during the war, and the SBC has proven capable in organizing swiftly in the past._

 _Cessa T'Auriel: Hmm... I see, yes, that could work if the Hegemony does disintegrate. You intend to control them?_

 _Aria T'Loak: I intend to use them as I have always used our lessers. They will do my will, when the time comes, have no fear of that._

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 _Miranda Lawson_

 **Date** : 12-26-2184

 **Location** _: SR Normandy II_ , Citadel Station, Widow Nebula

* * *

Kelly pursed her lips as she finished reading the message from the Shadow Broker, setting the tablet aside and leaning back in my couch as she considered everything that it had told her.

"Your opinion?" I asked, reclined across from her with a cup of warm coffee in my hands.

"We aren't ready." She answered, her tone certain. "And will not be ready within the time frame she suggests. There is a respectable degree of trust between our groups, but is largely of the 'live and let live' variety, not the kind required for something as daring as this. Further, several members of the ground team are simply not prepared psychologically, or healthy enough physically."

The health question was rather self-explanatory. Illyan T'Donna, Kasumi Goto, and Nikita Korolev wouldn't be ready for combat anytime within the next month, and for the former two, possibly the month after. Modern medicine would eventually heal them both entirely, but they had simply taken too much damage to be quickly repaired.

I sipped from my drink, enjoying the hot liquid. "Who are you most concerned about?"

"Zorah is in no condition to be in combat." Kelly responded flatly. "Vakarian continues to refuse to interact with any member of the Blades, and likely cannot be trusted to go their aid should they need it. Grunt and Bourdin are, effectively, highly lethal and intelligent, but are also fairly naive children who may get in over their heads without constant supervision. And you, quite frankly, are not over Jacob's death."

My fingers tightened around the cup, but that was all the reaction I allowed myself. "Any other issues?"

Piercing green eyes tried to bore into me, then she let out a quiet sigh. "We have two or three hours before Shepard learns that Kean is the father of Miss Wong's child. She will, at best, lecture him on the morality and flatly refuse whatever defense he attempts to make. At worst, she will attempt to dictate his behavior, and in either case it is going to be highly damaging to their already tenuous relationship."

Ah yes... _that_ issue. That message had come in along with the rest of the Broker's intelligence on the Collector IFF, and her belief that it wouldn't take more than two or three weeks to link it to the _Normandy._ Theoretically we could be through the Omega-4 relay by the middle of January, finish this campaign, and then go our separate ways.

Reality, as Kelly had so ably pointed out, was not cooperating with that optimistic plan.

Things _were_ slowly improving between all three parties involved, I could attest to that. I... enjoyed speaking with Shepard and her wife, holding long conversations about our pasts, things we wish we could have done differently, things we would do differently in the future. She respected, even approved of, many of my goals, even as she gently admonished me for the severity with which I pursued them. It was dreadfully easy to imagine her in my place, commanding this ship, this mission, setting the proper course for a new Cerberus. A just one.

But she had made it very clear that she would never bear our insignia, never leave the Alliance.

That was the part of her that I did not understand, that I wasn't sure anyone besides Liara T'Soni understood. The Alliance had never made her welcome, not after her refusal to be paraded around as a propaganda puppet after her defense of Elysium during the Blitz. She had been black-listed from the best postings as severely as her protege, Williams, had been. It had only been Anderson's backing and the lack of better candidates that had let her become a Spectre.

Yet even then, even as she struggled to uphold both sets of oaths, often forced to choose the Council's missions on the basis of more lives saved, even as the Alliance press and old fools eviscerated her for those choices... she went back to them, time and time again. She never cast off her uniform in disgust, never went to the media to return verbal salvos, never rallied those who supported her against the others.

Kelly believed it was some kind of internal terror, something that drove her to always follow the rules. A child's fear of being thrown back onto the streets manifesting itself in a resolute refusal to engage in anything even _resembling_ immoral or unlawful action.

I wasn't entirely sure about that diagnosis, given that she seemed to have had little compunction about using her Spectre status to avoid certain orders in the past, but in either case the core point remained. She was irrationally, frighteningly loyal to the Alliance, or, at least, to the _idea_ of the Alliance.

My head shook as I realized that my mind was wandering, attempting to avoid the more unpleasant conversations that I knew were coming today. "EDI, are you still withholding the message?"

"I am, Miss Lawson." The AI responded promptly. "However, as Miss Chambers indicated, Commander Shepard and her wife intend to leave the ship to sight-see today. It is almost certain that they will receive a copy of the message from another source while they are out. Based upon past averages, they will be departing in fifty-five to seventy-five minutes."

Kelly pursed her lips, "That gives us a very narrow window if we are to let them receive the message before they get it on their own, and realize we held it back."

"Yes." I agreed, grimacing. "EDI, is Kean awake yet?"

"He is currently in the cargo bay, sparring with Miss Chi." Came the answering hum, "Would you like me to request his presence?"

"Please," I replied, "And tell him there is a crisis to be managed if he attempts to delay or refuse."

There was a long pause before she spoke again, "They are on their way up."

Kelly sighed, rising to free the couch and heading over to sit beside me. "They didn't react well to the word crisis, did they?"

"They did not." EDI confirmed.

I smiled a little, but focused more on finishing my drink in the short time I had before the mercenaries arrived. I had just set the cup aside when the door to my cabin opened, letting them in. Kean's dress was typical, loose shirt, loose slacks, though he carried the mesh and metal plating of his war-gauntlets in his left hand. He wasn't overly sweating or out of breath, so they couldn't have been exercising for any real length of time.

Chi was dressed much the same, training rods hanging from her belt... though I felt my eyes widen slightly as I noticed that she was wearing a low-collar shirt for once. The thick pelt of white hair on her neck seemed uniform until she turned her head, glancing around the room, and exposing a ragged line of light gray. The vicious scar ran in curved line from the base of her neck on the right side, up and over her throat, and looked to end just below the left side of her jaw.

She noticed my attention almost at once, her too-wide eyes narrowing to angry slits, and I politely returned my attention to Kean. "I am assuming you can guess what this is about?"

"Wong?" He shook his head, dropping into the space that Kelly had vacated. "I'm guessing Aethyta finally responded to Liara's request for information. I'm surprised it took her this long."

"It is possible that she was relocating her base of operations once more," I shrugged, "But that is largely immaterial. How we are going to handle the information is more pertinent."

"True." Kean made a sound of agreement as his alien lover settled in beside him, tucking her legs up and leaning into his side. "Guessing you want the details?"

"Generalities are fine." I replied.

He considered that, shrugged, and then spoke, "Originally, we agreed to keep the matter quiet and discreet for their safety, and for her peace of mind, I wouldn't have anything to do with their childhood until they were old enough to understand certain details."

Beside me, Kelly leaned forward a little, "I am guessing, from her reaction to Miss T'Donna, that things changed?"

He flicked his omni-tool to life in response, using gestures to bring up an old message and expand it so that we could read it.

 _ _I know that you were involved with the raid on Benihi. The documentary will be finished according to the contract struck with Shaaryak and Massa. Do not attempt to contact us again. Aiden is fine, the agents you hired kept us safe during the attack. Thank you and goodbye.__

I closed my eyes tiredly and shook my head, "You did not explain the full situation?"

"She wasn't interested in what happened at the mansion," There was another shrug, though this one seemed tired, "What happened after we left that building affected her decision far more... particularly what happened at the extraction point. Combine that with everything else, and I can hardly blame her for not wanting me around."

That may have been true for him, but Chi evidently didn't share the opinion. A black, forked tongue flickered over her lips, and I saw her fingers twitch slightly. Kelly observed the reaction, and Kean's carefully neutral position, "You did not attempt to force the issue?"

The Quarian woman scoffed before he could say anything, "It's _Cieran._ He never forces any personal issues, especially not with a woman."

"I've begun to notice." I replied drily, "Though I must ask, what in God's name made you decide to take such a risk with Emily Wong of all people? Your... xenophilia and preferences are well known at this point, and she is hardly your type."

That actually made him grimace, "I don't know."

I blinked, "You don't know?"

He gave me a somewhat disgusted look, though I thought the emotion was more directed at the universe at large. "It was just after we left Redcliffe, while we were en route to Illium. No one spent that trip sober, she's not entirely sure how we ended up in bed either. And no, my mind healer wasn't able to help, black-out drunk memories aren't things that she can locate, especially not when there's more pressing crap to fix."

"Ah." I murmured. That certainly complicated things even further. "Do you know why she elected to keep the child? Did you implore her to?"

"No, and no." Kean shook his head, "I'm... Athame's ass, I'm conflicted on the issue, but largely I have no complaints about her wanting nothing to do with me."

Kelly winced, "You... may wish to not mention that to Shepard, or at least put it more tactfully."

The man rolled his eyes, "I'll try for what it is worth. Kasumi already warned me that she won't take it well." On seeing my frown, he twitched a shoulder. "She followed me to the meeting a few days ago, and she talked to me again yesterday to warn me it would probably be emotional, and a complete mess."

I pursed my lips. Goto wouldn't have revealed herself by choice, which meant that he had caught her. That as good as confirmed her continuing ill health and slow recovery, considering that I knew the woman had scoured every inch of the ship, including my cabin, yet I'd never caught her personally. So far as I knew, even EDI and EVA had a hard time tracking her when she was healthy. She would have been an ideal scout or flanking agent, and we didn't really have a replacement... damn it.

"What else is there, Frankenstein?" Chi's contralto mangled the German, as always. "You would not have called this a crisis just for that discussion, not when we don't know how Shepard will react."

"Yes," I tipped my head slightly, "The IFF taken from the Reaper corpse will be ready within two to three weeks."

That got their attention. Chi went from a lazy repose to alert almost at once, and Kean's posture shifted as well, becoming more rigid as his eyes narrowed. They exchanged a single glance, some unspoken communication that only people who had spent far too much time together could manage. By some silent agreement Chi was evidently nominated to respond, and she turned back to face us directly.

"We will have four Lancer teams ready." She informed me, "Plus ourselves."

I frowned, "Does that include Miss T'Donna?"

Kean grimaced, "I would like for her to remain on the ship, as a last defense much as she was on the last assignment. I would also prefer it if you and the AI remained with her as a defensive measure."

My frown deepened as I considered that, "What do you have in mind?"

The pair of them laid out their very rough battle plan, operating on the presumption that the Collector's base of operations would either be a space station or similarly large warship rather than a planet. When questioned, he'd responded drily that if it _was_ a planet we could simply approach by stealth, drop nuclear bombs on it, observe the damage, and then decide if we needed to repeat the process with something heavier. Chi threw in the addendum that there was no way in hell they would set foot on a planet with a few mere commandos.

In contrast, a station or ship could be boarded and possibly captured, would have far fewer potential enemies, and they would be forced into more narrow confines where our numbers would mean less. They made it clear they'd still prefer simply attaching bombs directly to its exterior, but understood that neither Shepard or I would accept that, for similar reasons.

We were all fairly sure that Shepard would want to rescue any hostages still alive, if even remotely possible... as did I, though my definition of 'remotely possible' was likely different from hers. That complicated things somewhat, but also played into his concept. I, along with the AI's mechs, walking wounded, and whatever combat agents and crew I trusted would remain on or near the ship. We would be the rear guard and insurance that the ship would still be there when the away team came back.

Shepard would be the point of the spear, the vanguard. Her hard hitting, fast moving combat style would let her advance the most quickly, heading for whatever reactor or control room that we could locate. Speed would be her overriding goal, to get to that point, destroy or sabotage it, and then get out. Any wounded or freed prisoners would be left for Kean's people. They would be following Shepard, securing her flanks and rear, and ensuring that there was a connection between her team and the ship. Their defensive and methodical focus would be best suited to that kind of engagement, holding doorways and hatches for however long it took.

"What about the other Spectres?" I asked, "Would you send them with Shepard?"

He rolled a hand, "Unless you have a better idea? Truth be told I have little idea of what to have them do. I don't particularly trust Vasir, and I'm not sure where Williams or Severa would be of use besides with her."

"I would likely prefer at least one of them with me," I replied, "Williams has experience with Shepard, so that would leave the Turians with us. In either case I believe that is an excellent basis from which to begin."

Chi shrugged, "We were bored."

Kelly lifted an eyebrow, "The Citadel is not entertaining enough for you?"

The Quarian woman scoffed, while Kean merely shook his head. "Not especially. You mind calling Shepard up here to get this over with? I'd rather not drag this out."

I considered that, then dipped my head in a fractional nod. "EDI, please release the message."

She did so, and the four of us lingered to wait. Kelly retrieved additional coffee for both her and myself, while Kean simply relaxed and closed his eyes. Chi remained beside him, lounging like the galaxy's largest house-cat, her odd hair rustling as she inspected my quarters further. I kept half an eye on her, mostly out of habit than because I honestly expected her to do anything.

Chi was simultaneously the most dangerous yet the most predictable of the mercenaries. So long as you counted on her to act within her nature, she was trustworthy and dependable. It was something that I didn't think that Shepard, or really any of her people, had realized, given how paranoid and nervous they tended to be around her. She didn't kill anyone she knew that Kean wouldn't approve of her dispatching, and for all of her attempts to goad Zorah into rash action, I highly doubted she would ever seriously injure her. She may have deeply _wanted_ to, but she wasn't so far gone as to give in to that impulse.

I would have felt perfectly safe alone with her, though I doubted I would appreciate the company overmuch.

Of course, if I was her only escort in a crowded area, I would have felt far less sanguine about being near her. That was the more difficult thing to remember, that her self-realization that she was unstable didn't mean the same thing to her as it would to a Human. I had seen her go to _extreme_ lengths to avoid even incidental physical contact, and she all but tried to crawl inside Kean's coat in even mildly populated areas. By Xenthan Quarian standards, her sadism and near sociopathy may have been fairly unremarkable, but her agoraphobia alone would have marked her as something perilously close to insane even without her other issues.

Even now, with her lover, I noted that there was a small gap between them, and that Kean moved with exacting care when he slid an arm around her shoulders. Chi exhaled and only slowly leaned into his touch, but her eyes remained on Kelly and myself.

"If you keep analyzing me," She spoke quietly, "I will poison you both."

Kelly shook her head and sipped her coffee, while I simply quirked my lips to one side and continued to regard her steadily. The woman's hair covered throat seemed to vibrate with an angry little mewl, though anything else she would have said was interrupted by EDI informing me that Shepard wanted to speak with me immediately. I told the AI to send her up, and we all waited for the angry Spectre to arrive.

We were not disappointed.

"Miranda, what the hell-" Shepard's voice cut off as she stormed across my office to the stairs, noticed Kean and Chi, then stopped herself. "...is this a statement of support?"

"Consider it a reminder that we are all allies here." I replied, waving a hand at my bed and inviting her to sit there. "And that we have important decisions to make that are unrelated to our personal affairs."

The woman looked like she'd just bitten into a lemon, "Miranda, this is more than just personal-"

"No." Kean interrupted her, "It isn't. It is quite literally none of your business Shepard."

She whirled on him instantly. "Like _hell._ That child is going to grow up without a father, do you have any idea what that might mean to him?"

"No." He repeated simply, "I don't. In either case the decision wasn't and isn't mine, and certainly has nothing to do with you."

I winced while Kelly brought a palm to her face.

" _Like. Hell."_ Came the repetition. "You are that boy's father, his parent, you owe it to him to be there for him. You have to try, even if his mother doesn't want you there right now."

"Why?" Kean asked, his voice mild. "Emily Wong and I were both drunk as shit, we had sex, and agreed there wasn't anything more to it. She elected to keep the child, didn't exactly ask for my opinion, and told me to remain distant. Later, she told me to never again contact her. So what, precisely, do I owe them at this point?"

"Always with the justifications and excuses." Shepard muttered darkly, glaring at him and pointedly not sitting, leaving her standing over the rest of us. "You don't understand at all."

"I do not." He agreed, in the same tones he had used before... but some instinct twinged, telling me that he was lying.

He _did_ care, on some level, even if he was refusing to display it. If he hadn't cared, if he'd truly decided to have nothing to do with them, he wouldn't have hired someone as expensive as Iyate T'Sho to protect them. He'd have simply accepted whatever happened to them and not been overly concerned if they ended up killed or captured. Kean _was_ worried about them, that someone would target them, and he cared enough to try to protect them.

He just... wasn't able to be open about it, emotionally or practically, much as I hadn't with Oriana. I had gotten over my mental blocks, to some degree, but the situation was almost eerily similar. As their toddler child obviously couldn't make an informed decision, he'd left it to the boy's mother, much as I had laid out everything to Oriana on Illium. But where my sister had accepted the danger, and the protection I offered, Emily Wong had told him to get lost. He had acquiesced publicly, but acted privately to protect them, much as I would have if Oriana had made the other choice.

"Shepard." I interrupted before she could continue, but kept my voice gentle and even. "Cieran and Miss Wong have made their decisions. I understand that this is a very important issue to you, but I do not believe that your arguments will influence the matter. Please let it go, at least for now."

Fists clenched and teeth ground together, "Miranda, this is nothing like your situation. This is-"

"Kaya." I sighed, "Do you honestly believe that you will change his mind?"

Orange flecked eyes stared hard at me, then she let out a ragged breath and muttered, "No. I'm ranting into a vacuum, aren't I?"

Chi stirred angrily at that, clearly not liking the comment, but she held her tongue when Kean's fingers tightened around her shoulder. He, at least, wanted this conversation to be over as badly as I did.

"Did you examine the full message?" I asked rather than answering her rhetorical question.

"Yes." Shepard said, "We're not ready."

I spread my hands, "I agree, but I am not sure that we have a choice. The Alliance will hardly allow us to defend Horizon against a repeat attack, and I doubt they would take any warnings we gave seriously."

The Spectre glowered, finally sitting down. "Probably not... and I'm guessing we wouldn't have much help against any other colony."

Kean shrugged minutely, "Both Warlords are remaining near enough to New Canton and Nagato, should we need them, but those are only two colonies. There are more than a dozen others far closer to the Alliance that could be attacked at this point, and we have no real idea when the next attack will be. It took them months to recover from the last setback, but I doubt they'll be so slow this time around."

Shepard glared at him, then closed her eyes, shook her head once, and visibly forced herself to calm down. "What's your best guess?"

"That we don't have any time." He shook his head, "I would put money on them attacking by the end of January, at the very latest. Probably far earlier. If I had to pick a target... maybe New Jamestown, or Kivu."

I pursed my lips, "Both are fairly close to the Verge, and are reasonably populated. They would have to be faster than they were at Horizon."

"I'm sure they learned that lesson." Kean replied, "If we want to hit them before they launch another operation, we would have to do so as soon as the IFF is ready. If the old fish's projections are right, and her people know their business, I would say we launch on the sixteenth."

I glanced at the Spectre, "Shepard?"

One of her fingers began to tap at her knee as she thought about it. "I had... a few personal affairs, I wanted to help people with before we left. A run to Tuchanka in specific, we can be there and back to Omega before that deadline but it'll be close."

"The seventeenth then?" I suggested. "Would you require this ship, or would Miss Williams be available to transport you team once again?"

She blinked in surprise, "Where would you be going?"

"I..." I heard myself hesitate before I forced myself to continue speaking, "Have personal business at my base of operations. I would like to resolve that in the time we have, and we also need to return Kean and his people so that they can prepare their other teams."

That got her attention, as I'd partially hoped it would, and she quickly asked what those other teams would be doing. Kean fell silent, leaving it to Chi and myself to explain the rough battle plan. Shepard's eyebrows furrowed as she listened, considering the idea. She agreed with me in the notion of Williams and Vasir taking point with her, while Severa remained behind to assist in protecting the ship. Or rather, ships.

If at all possible she wanted to have at least one, if not more, of the other Spectres' ships along with. Part of that was the practical desire to make sure we had multiple avenues of retreat and attack, part of was was the optimistic hope to have enough space to fit as many colonists as we could find. Chi had nearly started a second argument when she had muttered something about hopeful idiots and rescuing corpses, and only Kelly speaking over the last part had stopped Shepard from blowing up again.

Of course she also asked what I'd be doing at Peregrine base, which I deflected away. If I told her I knew she would want to be there with me, but this was something I felt needed to be done alone.

In either case we all agreed upon the concept, agreed that she should ask for clarification to see if the IFF could be applied to other vessels quickly, and, more contentiously, that she would drop the matter regarding Kean's child for now. But... that information had changed something between us, between all of us. Shepard was angry, for what were likely good and moral reasons, but the emotion behind her made it clear that the matter was personal to her for more than merely the obvious.

I was again reminded that we had no real information on Shepard's past and childhood. Or, perhaps more importantly, her parents. And just how did Kasumi Goto of all people predict how she would react?

Once our three guests were gone, leaving in two waves so as not to share the elevator with one another, I broached both thoughts to my second.

"I was wondering that too." Kelly murmured, having returned to the other couch, laying out upon it as if she was the patient rather than the psychiatrist. "Kasumi might have heard a private conversation between Shepard and Liara, but I doubt she'd have shared anything from that. Maybe... a job, an older one, gave her something. Information or insight."

"Maybe." I allowed, leaning back and closing my eyes as I felt the soft cushions' embrace. "Details on her childhood would have become a profitable enterprise, after she became a Spectre, but I doubt that we could get anything out of Goto."

There was a sound of agreement from the redhead, "Likely not. Vague information like Kean received are probably the best we could expect, but maybe we could-"

I sighed, "I know you hate mysteries, but we don't have the time or resources to pursue something as minor as her history."

Silence fell for a few moments, then, "She was right, however, as was I. We aren't ready."

"So were I and Kean." I replied, "We don't have the _time_ to be ready, unless you are suggesting we allow them to attack several more colonies over the months it will take us to prepare."

More silence, then she spoke again, "We're going to lose people."

"Yes." My mouth barely moved as the word left my lips. "We don't have a real choice."

I heard Kelly stir, shifting her body, "We could simply destroy whatever facility is beyond the relay, you know that Kean wants to do that far more than he wants to try and board it. They badly want it to be a planet so we have an excuse to just nuke it and be done."

"That facility may be a priceless trove of technology." I shook my head, though my eyes stayed closed. "EDI and EVA may find Information that we may need to fight the Reapers, we can hardly retrieve such things from an irradiated hulk. And Shepard would never agree to anything that might risk the colonists taken."

Kelly made a quiet sound, "They're already dead, Miri. You know that."

That made me turn, opening my eyes to regard flatly. "Maybe, but that does not change the fact that they are Humans, taken by beasts and creatures of nightmare. If there is even a small chance to rescue them, we must take it."

Bright, piercing eyes regarded me, her expression somewhere between pride and sorrow, as if I was a child she was watching take its first steps. I suddenly wondered if that was the kind of look I had given Chi when she had all but cuddled with Kean. If so, I definitely owed her an apology, because being on the receiving end annoyed me to an almost irrational level.

"I need you to contact Peregrine." I told her shortly, changing the subject with no attempt at subtlety. "Jesse and Arturo need to prepare everyone who can handle a weapon for this mission, have them prepare in counter-boarding tactics as best they can."

The psychologist sighed and rose, "Yes ma'am. Do you also want me to keep digging into ExoGeni for the Blades?"

"Yes." I replied already considering my own plans for the rest of the day. "Report back to me at dinner and we'll compile the data for them."

She gave me a mocking little Batarian style bow, much as Kean would have, and then departed. I glowered after her then rose as well to head to my desk. There was work to be done, and pointless emotional distractions had to be put aside for the good of the mission.

* * *

 **Codex: Alliance Space**

 _The Systems' Alliance remains in a precarious position despite their status as full Council members. In some ways their promotion came as a drawback, as they were now fully expected to manage their own internal affairs with minimal external aid. This is particularly damaging as, as the SA's colonial pattern is one of settling as many worlds as possible, even with very few people, in order to claim them for future exploitation._

 _This has left the Alliance with a very large number of practically uninhabited worlds, each of which is an easy target for pirates or slavers operating from the Hegemony, Traverse, and Terminus. It is for this reason that the SA maintains such a large navy in comparison to its, relatively, low population. Even so, the fleet remains far too small for traditional protective measures, forcing the Alliance to enact a counter-attacking policy from centralized locations._

 _While the Blitz has seen a large break in the number of attacks on the Alliance proper, the_ _Skyllian_ _Verge remains a hot-spot of pirate activity, and even worlds such as Elysium and Watson rarely go more than three years without at least a token attack._

* * *

 **Silent Witness**

 _(Voya'chi vas Xentha)_

 **Date** : 12-26-2184

 **Location** _:_ Presidium, Citadel Station, Widow Nebula

* * *

"The Council has reached its decision," Councilor Tevos was wearing a white dress that showed off _everything_ , making me wonder just what... or rather, _who_ she'd done to get the job. Not that I was so stupid as to say anything like that aloud, especially since I wasn't even sure why I was here at all. Cieran and Erana had done all of the actual talking during the sham 'investigation and trial' into our occupation of Novgorod, I'd just sat around trying not to look as bored as I felt.

Cieran had probably just wanted someone else to share in his misery... the _keshin._ I'd have to make my displeasure abundantly clear later.

"While ExoGeni is the technical owner of the Yeketerina system," She continued, "We must agree with the Silver Blade Corporation that they failed to police, defend, and maintain the system as directed by their contract with this Council. The ExoGeni Corporation is therefore stripped of its rights to the system, and all of its colonial contracts are on hold pending a thorough investigation by C-Sec."

The Human man representing said business was too collected to flinch, but his fists tightened slightly in a clear sign of anger. That nearly made me laugh, if only for how hilariously powerless the fool was.

"This," He spoke furiously, "Is a blatant act of discrimination! We fulfilled all of our obligations to the best of our-"

Sparatus all but slammed a fist onto his lectern, "Be silent or be removed!"

That _did_ make the lawyer flinch, and his mouth snapped shut.

"Your best," Valern spoke, his tones something close to disgusted, "Is irrelevant. You agreed to the terms of the contract and failed to uphold them. Your intent was obviously not to protect the colonists but to maximize your profits, and I look forwards to the results of the investigation."

I rolled my eyes at the moralizing. From what little we'd been able to dig up, the Union hated ExoGeni for stealing business from Salarian owned groups on Noveria. Valern had all but leaped at the chance to start a full investigation into the group as a result, all but ensuring our victory even before this waste of time had started. The Elcor, and the ancestors alone knew who had thought putting one of them on the Council was a good idea, had been the only one to seem honestly upset that ExoGeni's failures had cost lives.

Sparatus and Udina had already agreed to support us, just leaving Tevos, who had seemed to go along with it all just to avoid being the odd one out.

As a result, it had been obvious to everyone that the outcome had been decided before things had even begun. Erana and Cieran had both been free to speak at length, with only minor interruptions for clarification. In contrast, the ExoGeni asshole had been all but verbally eviscerated every couple of minutes, and he couldn't have gotten more than half of our speaking time. That had only pissed him off the more, and his increasing displays of anger had only made his shit situation worse.

Tevos waited until she was sure he wasn't going to interrupt again, then resumed, "The Yeketrina system is hereby given to the refugees who settled there, and their stated wish to invite the Silver Blade Corporation to act as a controlling interest has been noted and will be approved once the pending documentation is signed. This session is adjourned."

She and the Salarian left almost at once, vanishing out some hidden doorway behind them, and the ExoGeni lawyer didn't remain much longer. Probably running back to his masters to discuss how they'd get out of this, and how they'd get back at us. The latter idea made me smirk as I watched him leave. I rather hoped they tried something stupid and overt, it would be entirely too amusing to deal with such a thing.

That just left the final matter, and Cieran walked forwards as Udina stepped down from their little stand, offering him a tablet. My lover flicked his fingers, clearly scrolling back up to the top of some document, and began to read. He took his time, about five minutes passing before he nodded and signed with a quick gesture.

"Well," I drawled as we left the closed room for the entry hall, promptly hitting a massive crowd waiting to get in for whatever it was going to be used for next. "That was a waste of time."

"Hush." Cieran admonished quietly, automatically sliding an arm around my waist as I pressed up against his side, hissing reflexively in displeasure. "We got what we wanted."

I let out an angry mewl, glaring at everyone around us as equally as I could and trying to stop my heart from hammering quite so badly. "Still not worth six hours of listening to those _keshin_. Where's Korolev?"

Erana stepped up on my left, the young maiden using her height to glance around. "Over there, by the left exit."

Nodding, I set off in that direction, trying to drag Cieran along... and getting annoyed when the male simply used his long legs to keep pace with me without stumbling. Still, he at least stayed on my right, between the bulk of the crowd and me, so I could forgive him. Those few people in our way cleared out rapidly on seeing that we weren't about to slow down, and it didn't take us long to meet up with the odd woman.

And with T'Soni, who was lounging against the wall beside Korolev, wearing her usual armored lab coat thing.

"It is done then," The Asari asked as we neared, "How does it feel to legally own a star system?"

"Ask Ayle." Cieran replied. "It's her planet, not mine. Miranda and your wife figure out a plan?"

"They did, that's why I'm here." She waved slightly, indicating we should get moving, and she didn't get any argument from the rest of us. "The _Normandy II_ will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. We will be taking Ashley's ship to Tuchanka in the afternoon."

Erana made a quiet sound, "New Years on sunny Tuchanka... I don't think that will catch on."

T'Soni seemed to sigh, "It will be good to see Wrex again... but yes, I am less than enamored with the location."

I snorted as we left the 'Council's Judiciary Offices' and re-entered the Presidium proper, the oppressive wealth and silence just as awful as the loud crowd of rich _kolsha_ had been. "At least you can shoot anyone who looks at you twice there, unlike this uptight tomb of a station."

She gave me a look somewhere between disgust and pity, a mixture that made me want to stab her, and then turned her focus back to Cieran. "We will meet you at your base on Omega on the sixteenth, and will be prepared to depart on the mission the day after, assuming everything is ready."

"Assuming that." My Human lover agreed, "At least we have something like a plan for that, but for now I think I want to get back to the ship and get some food."

Nikita stirred, frowning, "We could hit a restaurant while we're here."

"No." I cut off _that_ idea before it could even get started. "Not up here. Not after that shit at breakfast, unless you're going to let me shoot those racist _officers_ this time."

Cieran sighed and tucked me a little closer against him, quiet clatters coming as our armor rubbed, "No shooting C-Sec, or the locals, not matter how much they deserve a dose of reality."

I growled unhappily, but let him keep holding me. He had a point, not matter how much I wished that he didn't. We weren't on Omega, where we _could_ have just shot anyone so stupid as to try and throw us out of a restaurant just for having the audacity for wanting some food before the waste of time trial. Infuriatingly, most of their attitude had been directed at _me_ rather than the rest of us, proving that the Council's racism remained alive and well.

That had set off Cieran, who had been cutting enough in his remarks that C-Sec had been called. The Turian officer had tried to throw us out, then nearly had a heart attack when we'd pulled out the passes the Spectre office had given us. Nikita had chimed in, reciting anti-discrimination laws that had made the young woman even more frustrated and nervous, and we'd eventually gotten food to go.

We'd still scanned it for poison, and been vaguely surprised to find it not burnt or raw.

Nikita pursed her lips, eyes going distant before she nodded, "I think I know a place, you coming with Liara?"

The Asari shook her head, made her excuses about returning to Shepard, and then split away while we headed for the nearest set of lifts.

"Uptight bitch." I muttered as she left, not sorry at all to see her go. "At least Shepard _openly_ hates us now instead of being a passive aggressive little _keshin_."

"She doesn't hate you." Korolev tried, "She's just... conflicted, and at least she's always polite."

I scoffed, "You mean she's too cowardly to tell us what she actually thinks."

The Human woman sighed, "Being polite and tactful isn't the same thing as being a coward, Voya."

My eyes rolled inside of my helmet, and Cieran's expression became mildly amused. Erana giggled on his other side, but we all fell quiet as reached the lifts. Thankfully the line was rather short, and it didn't take more than a couple of minutes before we were inside and plummeting down towards one of the ward arms.

Once we reached that, we got out, made our way over to a far smaller lift, and piled in. By my clock, it took another minute of dropping before we reached the Warrens.

The foundations of the Citadel resembled Omega's ancient infrastructure, but where that station's facilities were dark and cramped, here they were nearly as open as the Presidium had been. Caverns of metal stretched into darkness high above, while looming water purifies, warehouses, air recyclers, and other industrial sized constructions filled most of the space. Beings of numerous species, pretty much every species actually, wandered around like tiny insects, ducking in and out of prefabricated buildings set in and around the larger ones.

But, much like the stupid gardens we'd just left, there wasn't all that many of them. I'm sure the locals considered it moderately crowded, but by our standards it was nearly as empty as the void.

Korolev led us away from the lifts, down the wide 'street'. Locals largely glanced at us, then quickly cleared out of our way. A few were smart enough to check for whatever weapons they had concealed, making sure they were ready for trouble if it came. That made the place feel more homelike, though the fact that no one had armor, and that they didn't bear their weapons openly, still made it more than a little odd.

The Detective brought us to a small building near the elevator, a trio of battered tables just outside of it occupied by eating Asari. A sign above the doorway labeled it as Ricardo's Diner.

"Nikitah!" A massive, tan colored Human male all but bounced out of the doorway on seeing us. He was about Cieran's height, far more built, and with far more fat around his waist, and he seized the darker skinned woman around the waist and heaved her upright. "So good to see you girl!"

"Ric!" She gasped, "Air?"

He laughed, a booming sound, and let her go. He clapped her on the shoulder as she panted, nearly knocking her over, "It's been years! I thought you had betrayed me for that disgusting Greek up in the Wards."

"Never." The woman managed, straightening, "Been off station, lots of... well, lots of crap happened. You mind seating us?"

"Of course, of course. Yourself and your three friends?" Ric or Ricardo, whichever, turned to face us. "Any friend of Nikita's is more than welcome here."

Cieran dipped his head politely in the Batarian way, giving the man a neutral but cordial bow, Erana echoing the motion. "Thank you."

The man frowned a little, but recovered his smile quickly enough and waved us all inside. There we found a cozy but small place, with a Turian lounging by himself at a corner table with his back to a wall, and two empty tables. We got the farther towards the back, all of us settling into chairs. At a cover gesture from Cie, I slid a jammer out of my pocket, attaching it to the bottom of the table and powering it up.

"My waitress will be out shortly, for now I will get you drinks. Your usual, Nikitah?"

Korolev blinked, "You still remember?"

"You wound me!" He actually put a hand over his broad chest, making Erana giggle. "Vanilla Coke for the detective, and for you, young Maiden? Water, of course. Yourself sir?"

Cieran pursed his lips, "You have Wehit Tea?"

"I do," The man replied with a blink, "Iced? Very good, and yourself miss? I'm afraid I don't have much that is purified, but I can-"

"It's fine," I interrupted him, "I'm not an in-" Someone, probably Korolev, kicked me. "...migrant. Vecca Tea, iced."

Another few blinks, but he nodded and then vanished into the back.

"Be polite." Our guide hissed as soon as he was gone, "He's a good man who doesn't judge, so lay off of the insults and the cursing."

I glowered at her as best I could through my visor, but Erana spoke up before I could retaliate, "How do you know him?"

"I did a job for him, back when I actually lived here. Ate here all the time." Her expression became distant, as if remembering. "And I helped him with this gang thing."

While Erana quickly began to interrogate her for details, Cieran leaned back in his chair and murmured to me. "What do you think about the mission?"

The question made me grimace and shift my chair a bit so that I could lean against him and respond equally quietly. "I think that the bitch had a point, _we'll_ be ready but our coordination is going to be shit and people are going to get killed because of it."

He grunted, "You think _we_ might get killed because of it?"

"No." I shook my head, "We might get killed because the Collectors are a bunch of assholes with stupid tech, but if we go with our plan it'll be our job to back-up the others, not for them to come to our help."

"Ah." There was an exhalation as he closed his small eyes. "You think that Shepard is going to lose people, and that she's going to take it personally after the fact."

I twitched my chin, not seeing the point to say it aloud as well. Shepard, being the overly emotional bleeding heart that she was, would very likely end up putting her team in some kind of danger not related to the mission. Cieran, being the coolly practical and pragmatic being that he was, wouldn't risk so much as a single Lancer's life if it wasn't related to blowing the station to pieces. Death by explosion was still a far better fate for any surviving colonists than what awaited them. Assuming that there _were_ any colonists still alive at all.

But... we had to have the Spectre live through this, if she was going to act as symbol to fight the Reapers and Leviathans. So we had to make sure she lived through any stupid acts she took.

"It's going to be a mess." I predicted dourly. "We need to do this before the next attack occurs, minimize the chances that we'll find any civilians alive."

Cieran made a quiet sound of agreement.

"But," I added, "Bringing the big idiot with won't help _us_ any."

"Not you too..." He sighed, then fell silent as the host came back with drinks. They were passed out in good order, he again reassured us that his waitress would be with us soon, and then he headed back to the kitchen.

"Illyan is coming with," He spoke after taking a sip of his tea, and nodding in evident approval. "I can't tell her to stay behind, not on something like this. She'll stay with Miranda on the ship, she can manage a defensive machine gun easily enough."

A disgusted sound came out of my mouth as I worked at my helmet, opening the slot and taking a sip of my own drink. It was a bit more sugary than I usually made it, but surprisingly good all the same. "Are you ever going to be capable of saying no to a woman?"

Erana stirred, frowning. "He says no to me all the time."

" _You_ are his daughter, therefore you don't count." I replied, ignoring Cieran's sharp glare at the word 'daughter'. "She should be left on Novgorod."

Cie twisted his lips a little, tapping a finger against his glass. "Why are you so focused on this? Shyeel put you up to it?"

"She's a giant idiot who's going to hurt herself even more." I told him. "And you know it."

He glowered at me a bit more, then shook his head and sipped more of his tea, wordlessly conceding the point... while also pointedly not saying he wouldn't stop her from coming with. I took the moment to take another drink as well, and was about to lay into him when the sound of plastic hitting the floor made us whip our heads around.

The waitress was a younger Batarian woman, who had evidently dropped an empty tray in favor of gawking at us. She was wearing a blue vest over a black shirt, the left side bearing the diner's name, the right a tiny name-tag that red 'Hello, I'm Zana' in Thessian standard, and again in what I presumed to be the Human's main language.

"By the sacred Pillars, you're... you're..." Her words were quiet but easily audible in the surprised silence.

"Oh _keelah_..." I sighed, "This will be fun."

Cieran exhaled tiredly, but I felt him shift his posture away from the relaxed repose he'd been in, returning to the stiff Batarian mannerisms he'd only started to slip out of. That made the woman, teenager really, make a whistling squeak and dip her head to the left so far that she nearly broke it. That also let her see the tray she'd dropped, and she scrambled to grab it, rising and clutching it to her chest.

"Zana?" The massive human hauled himself out of the back room, frowning at her, "What is wrong?"

"N-Nothing!" The girl stammered, "I... just... um... you're... you're _Reyja'krem_ Kean, aren't you?"

When Cie spoke again, it was in Highborn, the words crisp, "Yes, I am. Now straighten your neck before you fall over, girl. I don't care for the deference."

"Yes sir!" She squeaked again and snapped her spine back into place. "I'm sorry sir."

 _"Sir?"_ Ricardo sounded incredulous, glancing between his awe-struck subordinate and the rest of us. "Nikitah, who exactly are your friends?"

Korolev opened her mouth, frowned, then something almost wicked appeared as she waved a hand at us. "This is Cieran Kean, only Human to be inducted into the Batarian caste system as something like a Knight. The woman next to him is Voya'chi vas Xentha, his wife," I choked on tea and started coughing, "And this is Erana, their adopted daughter."

"I," I growled in between coughs, "Am not his _wife_!"

A black eyebrow rose, "Then what are you to him?"

"He is my..." I nearly said Promised, stumbled verbally, and tried to think of what other word applied. "...lover."

Cieran, observant asshole that he was, noted my hesitation immediately and narrowed his eyes. He pursed his lips and considered me, realized this wasn't the time or place to ask, then flicked his eyes at Nikita, "Seriously?"

She merely smirked back, clearly using this chance to get him back for the teasing he'd been throwing her way over the inbred princess. That left our host, who let out a deep, and almost suspicious grunt, "Batarian huh. Hegemony?"

"Hardly." Cieran exhaled the word, "Terminus. Hegemony's tried to kill me, twice, and I think a new set of kill orders went out over some shit that went down last month."

"Ah." Ricardo relaxed almost at once, "And you're famous?"

"Very famous," His waitress replied, "He and _Reyja'krem_ Ayle ul Massa both, they're held as paragons by many of the faithful in the Terminus and Traverse."

"Ah." He repeated, shaking his head, "Well, take their orders, see if he'll sign your shirt or something."

The Batarian girl flushed as he turned and lumbered away, leaving the four of us regarding her with varying degrees of question. After a moment, she unzipped her vest enough to show the shirt beneath, a Silver Blade positioned right between her breasts. Cieran let out an exasperated sound that definitely including Shaaryak's name, while Erana groaned quietly and I rolled my eyes.

Cieran did end up signing her shirt with a white marker, mostly because Erana and Korolev pestered him into it, though he seemed horribly embarrassed by the entire thing. The girl had nearly fainted either way, stammered her way through taking our orders, and then all but stumbled into the kitchen as if he'd just fucked her over the table instead of writing his name on her clothing.

"So," Korolev asked, "You're selling t-shirts now?"

"Apparently." Cieran growled the word, sipping tea to calm himself down. "Erana?"

The maiden spread her hands, her blue eyes wide, "I didn't know sir, I swear. It would have to be one of the Illium accounts, one that Miss Shaaryak continued to own with her private shares and didn't get transferred to us."

I mewled, "We only took the relevant interests when you demoted her... a clothing or souvenir contract would have been something that Ven would have bypassed."

Cieran shook his head, "Yeah... Athame's ass, bloody shirts. "

"Could be worse," Nikita provided brightly, "Could be nude wall scrolls."

"Don't make me shoot you." My partner growled back at her, "And did you know I hate being the center of attention."

His fellow experiment drew herself up a bit, "Consider it payback before those comments about me staring at Tali's ass."

I glared at her, "And you had to involve me?"

"I'm sorry," She replied with absolutely zero sincerity, "Collateral damage was unintended."

My throat vibrated with a growl, "We're sparring when we get back to the ship."

Her confident smirk faded into something far more uncertain, "I, uh, will be busy. Very busy, with Tali and Kasumi, working on things."

I wished that my visor wasn't in the way so that she could see me bare my teeth at her, "Good. Ambush training is always useful... and entertaining."

The woman swallowed, "Cie? Could you please ask your wife not to attack me in the middle of the night?"

"I didn't know I had a wife." Cieran replied blandly, taking another sip of tea. "Erana? Did you slip a marriage contract into my paperwork."

A blue finger rose to tap at lips, "I don't think so sir, and I'm pretty sure you would have caught it if I did."

Cie gave her an annoyed look, "What have I said about calling me sir?"

She smiled right back at him, "Would you rather me call you dad? Or daddy? Maybe father?"

He twitched sharply and upgraded his expression to a full glare. Erana, proving that she was inoculated to even his formidable expressions, merely smiled. "Sir, it is then."

"Voya..." Cieran exhaled through his teeth in a gentle whistle, "When we get back to the ship, find Chek, and tell him that I think Erana is a bit out of shape."

The maiden's eyes widened. "Um, sir, I don't think that's really necessary."

"Probably not." He agreed, "But it will be vastly entertaining, and maybe contain a lesson about insulting your parental figure."

Erana let out a pained groan and gave him a pathetic expression, only to see Cieran turn his head head away to avoid succumbing. I shook my head and sipped at my tea, knowing that she wouldn't end up being tortured via callisthenics by the old Krogan, Cieran was far too soft on her. But for now it was amusing to see her squirm and worry, much as Korolev already looked like she was cataloging the places she could be on the ship where I couldn't get to her.

The two began another conversation, speaking quietly to one another, leaving Cieran and I to lean back as we sipped tea and waited for our food.

Then Cieran murmured, his voice teasing, "So, what am I to you?"

"You're my lover." I muttered, my voice flat. "As I said."

"You do love me," He agreed, "But that was an awfully long pause in there."

I growled at him, "I didn't pause."

"Yes, you-" I tried to grind my heel into his foot, only for him to quickly shift his leg aside. "-did. Is there a Quarian word for it?"

If there was, it was because I'd taken temporary leave of my senses when I'd given him Shith's claw. I didn't regret that so much as I... wasn't sure why I'd done it. He might have been an idiot male, but he was... Cieran. I did love him, and I owed him far more than I was able to give back thanks to my ancestor's damned issues. "No."

Cieran seemed to regard me for a few moments, his pale green eyes assessing, then he rolled a shoulder and let the matter drop. Which made me feel even more conflicted, a lifetime of indoctrination to keep our culture's secrets _secret_ warring with the immense obligation that I owed him.

My mouth moved before my brain could emerge from the tangled valleys in my head, the word a bare whisper. "I'll... tell you later. Not in public."

He blinked, then nodded slightly, "All right, but you know you don't have to. I was just curious."

"I know, but..." I shook my head as my words failed me, shifted my chair, and just leaned against his side. The _keshin_ leaned in, gently touching my visor with his forehead since he couldn't let me rub my cheek through his beard, but the thought still made me exhale softly.

Asshole always knew how to make me feel better, even when he didn't say anything.

* * *

 **Codex: Third Hegemony Civil War**

 _The Third Hegemony Civil War began at the end of 2186, when Patriarch Ka'hairal Balak executed Hegemon Del'thran over the latter's perceived failures to reform the national government. What little unity had still existed in the wake of the second civil war promptly collapsed as numerous Ha'diq and Patriarchs alike refused to accept Balak as the new Hegemon._

 _While a sizable portion of the Warrior caste remained loyal, enough to secure Khar'shan itself, their numbers had already been badly depleted by the prior conflicts, desertions, and simple exhaustion. As a result, rather than the kind of open, factional warfare that had characterized the Conservative-Traditionalist civil war, the Third War quickly became a covert war of assassination, terroristic attacks, and guerillas raids._

 _The diplomatic war was as fierce as the actual combat, as planetary leaders, admirals, and generals fought to secure allies for Khar'shan, for secessionist movements, or for groups opposed to either._

* * *

 _ **Next up is Rest, Refit IV**_

 _A little more personal of a chapter, with bits and pieces of planning and future hints thrown in for good measure. I've got two more chapters planned for this act, after which we'll roll into the finale. This chapter should have, at the very least, made it clear that the collector base mission won't be the typical 'everyone is ready, everyone lives' kind of story._

 _So yeah, brace yourselves. Current outline has the final act as six chapters with significant casualties. We'll be going back to single POVs for those chapters so that I can write them and get them out more quickly, and to ensure that each is as hard hitting and fast as the action inside._

 _ _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."__

 ** _Thanks, Kat._**

* * *

 ** _ **Review Responses:**_**

GreaterGoodIreland – My Shepard is a little too honest for her own good sometimes, at least in the moment. She will probably roll with the idea of the Leviathans as rogue Reapers if/when she gets back to the SA, if only to try and get some investigation done.

Rfpizzile → It's mostly writing convention, if only to make it clear what language they're actually speaking without having to always lead a conversation with 'and Kasumi spoke in japanese'. Same reason why I don't translate cursing (keshin, kolsha, bosh'tet, chenethic, etc).

Griezz → Legion is the Geth's... ambassador unit, I suppose. They are waiting on the Quarians to make a decision and aren't with the Normandy. Tali knows them and has worked with them in the past, yes, and going to Rannoch or at least working with them is an option for her if she makes it out.

Seabo76 → Kind of hinted in this chapter, but as Voya currently stands she _is_ pretty normal by Xenthan Quarian standards (aside from her fear of crowds, fear of being touched, her impulse control problems, and intimacy issues). She isn't likely to 'improve' or become more 'human' beyond what she is already like. I can't really blame the PM in this instance, he's doing the best he can with the hard facts and political realities that he has in front of him.


	43. Interlude XIV: Quiet Operations

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude XIV: Quiet Operations**

* * *

 **Pillar of Strength**

 _Illyan T'Donna_

 **Date** : 01-01-2187

 **Location** _: SR Normandy II_ , en route to Omega, Terminus Systems

* * *

The New Year's day hangover was depressingly predictable, regardless of what species you were. It was strange like that; the one holiday that everyone seemed to recognize as a time to get drunk and celebrate surviving another year in this fucked up galaxy. The exact date varied, depending on whose calendar you were using, but no one I knew complained about getting to celebrate it multiple times in a 'year'.

Limping back into the dark lounge from a restroom visit, I slowly eased myself into the couch. The only light came from the stars outside the viewport, revealing Cieran at the other end. The Human was holding his head in one hand, a glass of tea in the other, and several empty bottles of water sat nearby. Twisting in place, and wincing at how stiff my leg still was with the stupid cast, I planted my bare feet in his lap. That task complete, I stretched out as best I could, resting my head on the couch's arm with my crest sticking over the edge. "Where'd Voya go?"

"Bed." He replied shortly, rubbing at his temples before taking a sip of the hot liquid. "I think she and Shyeel are curled up around each other."

I made a quiet sound of surprise, "You think so?"

"Voya doesn't push people away when she's hungover." He shook his head, winced, and quickly took another drink. "Voya might try and kill her when she wakes up, but for now she probably likes the company."

Especially since Cie's peculiar climate tastes ensured that our cabin was far colder than the rest of the ship. Even when he'd been with me instead of the blazing furnace that was Voya he'd kept the room a bit cool for my tastes. These days it was more than merely 'cool', not that I could blame him given said furnace. That also meant that Shyeel and I had ended up sharing a bed simply to avoid freezing to death, and whenever Cieran was gone, Voya had tolerated Shyeel joining her for the same reasons... though she had pointedly never done so with me.

"Speaking of them." I spoke after a few minutes of companionable silence. "They still trying to convince you to stop me from coming with?"

"Athame's azure..." The words were more of a long groan than actual syllables, "Three times for Shyeel, twice for Voya."

I smiled a little, unable to help myself. "Should I be touched by her concern?"

Cieran snorted. "Don't read too much into it."

His tone made my smile falter for a heartbeat before I got it back into place, "What do you mean?"

Cieran actually turned his head rather than his entire torso for once, making me blink and then wince as he gave me one of his more severe glares. "Illyan... I know you, and I know when you're trying to seduce someone. By your standards you're being clever and taking it slow, I'll give you some credit for that, but don't think that I can't tell what you're doing."

I swallowed and tried to sink into the couch and vanish. I'd been really, really hoping that he wouldn't notice until either things worked out, or until Voya snapped and tried to murder me. "Oh."

"Why?" He asked, his voice cool. "If it's just to get in my bed again, I'm not going to take it well, and she's going to take it worse."

"It isn't." I protested. My former lover gave me an extremely dubious look, and I winced and looked away from him. "It's... not _entirely_ about that. Athame's azure, _yes,_ I want to be with you again, I've wanted that since about a week after we broke up."

A glance showed Cieran regarding me with the same cool, mildly dubious expression, not offering me anything to work with. He was making both his displeasure and disbelief clear, while also making it obvious that I needed to swim my own way back to the surface.

"Voya's... she's..." I tried to find the words, "She's an arrogant, petulant, vicious little bitch who never asks for help, even when she goddess-damned should. Her solution to every bloody problem is to either smash through it or avoid it and hope it goes away."

The ridge of hair above his left eye rose, and his voice became dry, "I can see your interest."

I growled and kicked him in the ribs with my good leg, though not all hard. "She's all of that crap, but... fuck, I started seeing the same stuff you do. She might be the most determined woman I've ever bloody met. For all of her bitching she's loyal as the Justicars to the Goddess, she'd die in a heartbeat if it meant saving you, or me, or Shyeel. And, much as I don't like to admit, we've got a bunch of things in common."

"Like?" He prodded.

I didn't have any issues guessing the intent of his question, "Yes, we both love you, but that's not all of it. We both like working on things, building things. I like a good fight as much as she does, even if I don't need someone dead at the end of it. Athame's ass, we've pretty much lived together for the last six years, seems clear we're not about to kill each other. Plus..."

My voice trailed off, making him frown before I smirked, "She has a really nice ass, and I like her little breasts. Then there's her hair, and those hips, and-"

His free hand reached around and grabbed one of my small toes and pulled it back until I hissed in pain, my teasing ending at once. "Ugh! Fine, stop! Asshole."

Cie smiled a little, but it was tinged with something like concern. "Illyan.. I don't think it's going to happen."

I bit my lip and looked away again. "Maybe not. You going to stop me from trying?"

"If I said yes," He spoke, his voice turning cautious, "Would you?"

"Of course." I replied without hesitation. "It would suck, yeah, but if you think it's going to ruin things then... then yes, I'll stop."

The Human male gave me a looking, searching look... then there was an almost ragged exhalation as he sighed, "No. No I won't stop you. But I won't help you, or her. This is going to be between the two of you. Please don't overdo this, or over-think it, for once."

"I..." I started to say that I wouldn't, realized I'd be lying, and sighed. "I'm going to try not to. Um, what happens if I fuck it up and... you know, overdo something?"

A finger tapped his glass, "I'll try and calm things down, but that would definitely be the end of the idea. I don't want to lose you as a friend, or see you and her become irreconcilable. But if she tells you to stop, if she seriously means it, I want you to stop. Understand?"

His tones were hard and uncompromising, and my response was as reflexive as it was submissive. "Yes boss."

"Good." He replied, settling back and getting comfortable. "You've got the seven or eight years before we actually get married, so you've got some time. Don't rush it."

"I..." I gaped at him. "Wait, what?"

Cie snorted softly, "Apparently we're engaged, she told me as much last night... at least, once she had enough drinks in her to say it."

I blinked, the wave staying firmly out to sea, "You're _what_?"

"Engaged." He repeated for the third time, his head shaking a little. "Apparently a Trophy Taker giving someone else a trophy counts as a proposal, but the actual marriage thing doesn't happen until they retire. Which usually happens in their mid thirties or so."

That helped me recover a little, the mental math making me snort. "So you're... promised to get married to her in seven or eight years?"

Cieran shrugged, "Pretty much. She seemed surprised that I wasn't upset, then got annoyed because I wasn't thrilled."

Typical Voya, in other words. I didn't need to pry further to figure out why Cie wasn't upset, or even all that worried. We would be lucky to survive the next month, much less the next eight years, so worrying about the implications of a Quarian bonding or marriage or whatever was going to be very far down on his priority list. Athame's ass, he'd probably be _thrilled_ to have to deal with that emotional storm, with or without me included, if it meant that all of us survived the next couple of years.

"You going to go with Cieran'chi vas Xentha?" I couldn't help but tease a little, "Or she going to be Voya'kean vas wherever-we-happen-to-be-right-now?"

He hummed in amusement, "The latter has a nicer ring to it, don't you think?"

I laughed, a little too loudly because it rang and made my head pound a bit. Cie didn't quite flinch, but he did give me a mild glare when my chuckles subsided into a pained groan. "So... when did all that happen? Didn't know she gave you a trophy."

"I don't exactly carry it around." His free hand waved vaguely, "It wasn't long after we started, it's one of the claws she took from Shith. "

"Huh." Now there was a name I hadn't heard in a long fucking while. "What excuse did she give you at the time?"

"That's she'd taken two extras, one for me and one for Rane." A very small smile appeared on his lips, "Said it was so she could recognize us after she inevitably ditched our little group and went off on her own again."

Though not one for me, I noticed. Not that I really blamed her, I'd been trying to treat her like I'd have treated Erana, back then, and she hadn't taken it well. Then the second wave hit the beach, "Wait, you _and_ Rane? So she was going to suggest she wanted to bond with you both?"

The smile widened a little as he shook his head, "I started to ask that, she grabbed my throat and told me she'd break my neck if I finished the question."

I couldn't help but laugh again, though this time I kept it quieter. Cieran let out an amused little breath of his own and shrugged, "I think she was honest about why she took them at the time, and I don't think she meant it as a proposal when she gave it to me. She probably realized what she'd done after the fact, was just too embarrassed to say what it meant or to ask for it back. That I never wore it around helped her pretend it hadn't happened either."

"You're a terrible influence like that." I pointed out.

"She hardly needed help repressing things." He replied, his good humor fading a little. "But... yeah, probably not. Trying to be more open, at least with her, but it's just... easier to not think about things like that."

I sighed but nodded, making a gesture to show that I accepted the point. The pair of them badly needed a very long, very remote vacation so that they could finally get some down-time. Time to think about shit like Cieran's son, what was or wasn't going to happen with me, if... ugh, if Erana was starting to view Voya as a parental figure just as she viewed Cieran, and just... everything that had fucking happened these last few years.

Athame's azure, I needed a break as badly as they did. So did Shyeel. The war, aftermath, and then this campaign had been a very long, very rough storm. Always busy, always stuck bobbing with the waves, making too many enemies, losing too many friends, just dealing with so much shit.

"Goddess we need a break." I closed my eyes tiredly. "Tell me we're taking one after this."

"Soon as that base is gone, we're gone." Cieran all but groaned at the very idea. "And we're not coming back for at _least_ six months."

"Six months..." My voice turned something close to lustful at the idea of that much time without having to worry. "Where we going? Illium? Can't be Novgorod, even if Ayle left us alone everyone else would bother the crap out of us."

There was a clinking sound as he set his glass aside, "Agreed. Maybe Illium, depending on Sederis. Maybe the Old District on Xentha, or... shit, Cathia? The Rim? We've got a thousand options, can take our time about it."

"I want a beach..." A tired yawn broke my words, "...a warm one. Been so long since I just went for a relaxing swim. Would be fun to tease Voya too."

"I'll keep that in mind." He drawled in reply.

I made a quiet sound of approval, and decided that a nap was far more important than talking further. Cieran evidently agreed, or more likely, didn't want to disturb me, because he fell silent while draping an arm over my legs.

My tried brain swam in slow circles as I thought about the conversation we'd just had, and the implications of it. Cieran wasn't going to stop me. That meant something... that meant a lot. He was open to the idea of being with both Voya and I, I could probably thank my own efforts at getting him to open up a bit for that. But even then, it was clear that he was holding her up on the pedestal right now. He wouldn't risk hurting her, even slightly. The moment I fucked this up, the moment I came on too strong, he'd tell me to back the fuck off and go into damage-control mode.

Which meant that I couldn't fuck things up, not this time.

More than anything I had to keep myself focused on Voya. I hadn't been lying, I _was_ starting to find the dangerous little bitch sexy, but I'd thought Cieran attractive almost since I had met him. That was... well, dangerous. If Voya thought for even a heartbeat that I was lusting after her lover instead of after her, this would be over, and I'd be lucky to get out of the resulting fight without knives stuck in me somewhere. Goddess, this was not going to be easy. I'd have to be way more focused than I was used to being.

And I'd definitely have to leave Cieran out of things as much as possible. I'd planned on that, on trying to go out with Voya on our own at least a few times, but after this little discussion I'd probably have to up that to a few months. Our first time, if my seduction plan worked, would definitely have to just be her and I. No male Human involved. And definitely no melding. And...

Sleep snuck up on me mid thought, though as usual it didn't last.

The couch began to shift after what felt like fifteen seconds, and I cracked an eye open just in time to hiss in pain as someone put weight on my injured leg. Voya turned her nose up at me in annoyance of her own, then finished shoving my legs against the back of the couch and clearing space for her own limbs to fit. That task completed, she draped herself in Cieran's lap, buried her face in his neck, and closed her eyes. Cie, who'd also opened a single eye, simply sighed, wrapped an arm around her waist, and tried to settle back once more.

I smiled a little, despite the ache in my thigh. She might have been a bitch, but goddess Voya could be adorable sometimes.

Behind them I saw Shyeel settle in at the bar, one of Cieran's books in her hands as she quietly poured herself a drink. She gave me an amused look before opening it and started to read. Exhaling, I glanced down at my legs, then at where Voya's were stretched out beside me, her hair covered feet pressed up against my side. After a few breaths of debate, I shifted my left leg and carefully settled it into her lap, trying to get comfortable again.

Glowing eyes opened to slits, glaring at me. The glare faltered when I simply arched my back a bit, groaned, and draped my arm over her shins before closing my eyes again. I waited for her to shove my leg away or kick my arm off, but evidently I was allowed to touch her so long as Cieran also was. That or she just didn't want to risk waking him up again.

Either way I fell asleep once again, this time for a good long while.

When I woke up I felt considerably better, blinking my eyes to see that the room's lighting had been brought up to a dim level. Genial conversation came from the area behind me, and I craned my neck back a bit to see that the card table was occupied by Chek's team, plus Erana, Shyeel, and a pair of the ship's crew.

"Look who is awake." Mirala purred from where she was seated, noticing my attention. "Care to join us?"

I let out a huffing breath and hauled myself into a seated position. Cieran was still at the other end, though now he held the book I'd seen Shyeel reading. Voya was seated on the floor, her legs crossed and pieces of her Viper scattered around her as she studiously cleaned them.

"I'm not awake enough for cards," I shook my head, trying not to groan as I swung my legs around, "Give me a bit."

"Where's the fun in that?" Jack called, "More of a fuckin' challenge if you're out of it."

Cieran snorted, not looking up from his reading, "You mean you'd have a chance of getting some of your money back if she's half asleep."

"Same shit." Came the reply, followed by a quiet yelp as Erana pinched her arm and yelled at her for her language. Her new and hopeless crusade to clean up her girlfriend's mouth made everyone else at the table laugh, Chek's in particular was deep and booming, and I smiled and shook my head before glancing at Cie.

"How long was I out?" I asked as the game resumed.

"Four or five hours." He replied absently.

"Mmm." I covered a yawn and stretched my arms out, "We got any plans?"

A hand waved at the viewport, "Star gazing. We'll be at Omega tomorrow, according Miranda. Not much to do until then."

I blinked a little in surprise, "No battle planning?"

"No." Cieran shook his head and turned the page.

I'd barely opened my mouth to thank the goddess when Miranda Lawson spoke up from behind us, "Actually I would like to discuss the upcoming engagement, and it seems you have the time."

There was an annoyed click from Cieran's mouth before he turned and gave me a very disappointed look. I gave him a somewhat embarrassed shrug, knowing that it had been my question that had drawn the goddess' attention, causing her to send us actual work. The bitch.

Frankenstein spent a minute at the mini-bar, fixing herself a glass of tea, and then made her way over to the armchair, carefully avoiding the scattered pieces of Voya's weapon as she did. "I see everyone survived the night."

"Not for lack of trying." Cie replied, glancing over my shoulder. I didn't have to look to know the pointed look was being directed at Jack, and at Erana. If the latter was trying to get the former to stop cursing, the former was helping the Maiden get around Cieran's prohibition on alcohol. "You look fine, not hungover at all."

Lawson gave him a demure smile, "One of the few things about my enhancements that I truly enjoy."

"Lucky bitch." Voya muttered.

The smile widened into something almost superior, then faded as she leaned back and sipped at her tea. "Do you have the time to discuss who you will be bringing with?"

"Unfortunately." Cieran sighed, closing his book with a quiet _thump_. "Hit me."

"You said you will be bringing four teams with." She began, "Whose?"

A hand waved at the card game, "Chek's and Terro's, then two others you haven't met. Aya ul Vessan has our newest team, and Nynsi brought an all-Asari group back from the Hegemony with her. Probably want to break them up across other teams after this, but for now they'll be together."

The enhanced woman nodded slightly, "What about the T'Laria and your new band of assassins?"

I frowned and spoke up, "The Nightblades? Trena's not really training them for open brawls like this."

"True," Lawson nodded, "But I remember the Seeker swarms inside the militia base on Horizon, and how difficult it was for me to hold them off. We will likely be fighting in similarly confined spaces and will be similarly vulnerable to them, regardless of whatever measures Doctor Solus is able to provide. The more biotics we have with the more comfortable I will be."

"That's..." Cieran frowned, "Not a bad point, really. We could probably bring the entire first class with, that would give us another eighteen biotics."

I winced, "Only six of them have graduated, and I don't think they'll ready for this kind of thing."

Cie's frown deepened. "Probably not... but the only other option is to bring a couple of Hunting squads with."

That sounded more workable to me, and to Voya, but it also turned the discussion to our most limiting factor; space. Lawson wanted to grab another dozen of her own people from her base to help the crew defend the ship once we landed or docked, but adding them to the ship, plus us, plus four Lancer teams, and this ship would be pretty packed. Tossing in another eighteen Nightblades or twenty light infantry would leave us packed in like fish.

From Lawson's perspective that was a massive problem, since she wanted to have space leftover to fit any civilians we managed to rescue. It was also a problem from Cie's perspective, since the more crowded the ship was, the greater the odds that we might not be able to fit all of or people on the way out if the ship was damaged even slightly. We still had no information from the old fish regarding the IFF, so we also had no idea if we'd be able to get the other Spectres' ships through the Relay or not. If they couldn't we'd be adding _another_ forty or so people between Shepard, Vasir, Williams, and Severa's teams.

Which would entirely kill any idea of rescuing anyone, unless we could capture and figure out how to run a Collector ship, and do so in under an hour. Pushing aside that laughable notion, it was eventually decided that we'd bring one Nightblade team plus a volunteer Hunting squad only if at least one other ship would be able to make the passage with us.

"That leaves the disposition of the ship's defenses." Lawson continued, once we'd settled that. "Miss T'Donna, what will you be capable of?"

I grimaced and glanced down at my right leg, still locked into a straight line thanks to the thin cast beneath my pants. "Not as much as I'd like. I can use my Spitfire well enough, and I'll have Patriarch's old hammer if something gets close, but..."

Cieran gave me a look, "And how do intend to swing that thing around without being able to plant your feet?"

"I'm not any good with a sword." I shrugged, "And it at least gives me more reach than a gauntlet."

Frankenstein made a musing sound, "Your biotics?"

Bitterness welled up towards the surface, and it was only through force of will that I shoved it away, "I'll be wearing a nullifier, like on Horizon."

Blue-grey eyes blinked in surprise, "I had not thought your biotics damaged."

"I've..." I grimaced, "Shit, I've had two cases of collapse level biotic exhaustion in the last few years. Most maidens my age are lucky to get through _one_ case without suffering brain damage and seizures. I don't think my luck would hold a for a third time."

Or rather, Cieran, Voya, and Shyeel didn't think that it would. Athame's ass, I knew that Shyeel didn't think that I should be involved in fighting at _all,_ with or without the stupid addition to my armor. It was only Cie's inability to say no, and his pathological need to keep his friends nearby, that were letting me fight beside them still.

Lawson seemed to consider that for a few long breaths before nodding. "In that case, I think that I would like for you to direct the defense within the cargo bay itself. We will likely need to keep the ramp down, if our landing allows it, for ease of ingress and egress. If I gave you a squad of my people could you direct them appropriately?"

I bit my lip and thought about it. I didn't like leading people, even in training, and this would be a bit more than I was used to. But then again, I'd thought I'd learned quite a bit about defending a fixed objective thanks to hanging around Cie. "I think I could handle that. Could I have Goto? Could use her as a lookout or stealth sniper."

"That would be acceptable." She nodded firmly, "I will need you to work with Jesse Church, she will have command of the ship's interior defenses."

Cie pursed his lips, "Where are you going to be?"

"I'm operating under the assumption that we'll need to defend multiple avenues at once. I will be taking EDI, EVA, Korolev, and a squad of my people to defend the first major choke-point we find." There was a grimace, "Or simply holding the forward airlock, depending upon the terrain."

I grunted, "I'm guessing I'll be working with this Church to protect the inside of the ship if the ramp isn't down?"

"In all probability." Lawson nodded again, "Cieran, do you have an idea as to the order you will separate your teams in?"

"None whatsoever." Black and blue hair shifted as he shook his head, "We're going to have to improvise based on the situation."

His tone shifted a little, making his displeasure clear. If there was one thing that he hated it was improvising in a combat situation. That was almost always when people got killed, when snap decisions didn't work out, or _did_ work but required sacrifice and bloody to pull off.

"Our usual four-plan setup won't be of much use here." He sighed, brushing hair out of his face and continuing on, "We just don't _know_ enough to really plan anything beyond the vague crap we've already got set. I want an emergency fall back code, something to tell everyone to book it back to the ship, but I don't know what else we can do."

Lawson pursed her lips. "I would have to agree. If EDI or EVA can infiltrate the Collector systems when we dock, we may be able to hold a fast meeting to get something more solid, but until then this may be the best we can do."

Voya let out a low mewling sound, intended to interrupt. "What do we do if we find civilians?"

"Rescue them, if practical." Came the instant reply.

The Quarian woman rolled her eyes, "What if it's _not_ practical, or if Shepard tries to send civilians our way when we don't have room on the ships for them?"

We all glanced at Lawson there, as her expression darkened and twisted, clearly not liking the direction this had gone. My own brain joined in, giving me a lovely little mirage of men and women filled with sudden hope, rushing towards rescue, then having to watch as the ships lifted away without them. Or as beings in dark armor gunned them down as they approached... or as they were suddenly shot down from behind.

"What do you propose?" Lawson asked.

Voya shrugged, "Find a room or hallway, lock them in it and tell them we're keeping them safe until it's time to go."

"And then leave them there?"

"Yes." She replied simply. "Death by explosion is probably better than whatever the fuck is happening to the poor _kolsha._ "

I winced... and hated myself a little for not being able to think of a better idea. Goddess-damned awful as it was, that might actually be the best solution. "Shepard will blow up if that happens."

Cieran let out a whistling sigh between his teeth, the familiar sound telling me he didn't much care for it either. "Yeah, she will. We could probably pack in as many as we could, but unless we can drag a heavy cargo transport through the relay there's no chance we could fit even a tithe of what they've taken."

"Such a ship would simply be destroyed anyway." Lawson shook her head tiredly, "We may be able to use the _Normandy_ and Williams' ship to clear a zone for the other Spectre vessels, but we couldn't protect such a large target. EVA, if we are able to take all four ships through, how many civilians could we fit?"

I glanced over my shoulder as a red colored cube appeared above the small pad on the wall, flickering with each word. "Assuming standard crew complements, the additional forces you have already discussed, I project that we could fit no more than one hundred and twenty individuals. Note, this would be extremely dangerous for all four ships and leave them badly overcrowded."

The Cerberus leader let out a tight breath of her own, then nodded, "I will inform Shepard that, if civilians are present in large numbers, that we will rescue the first one hundred children she can locate. No more."

"That will be a fun conversation." Cieran noted, "You want me to propose it? She hates me anyway."

"No... this is a reality she needs to face, and I am far more tactful than you." She shook her head and rose, "Miss T'Donna, I have a QEC call with Church in twenty minutes. Would you care to accompany me? The pair of you can discuss defensive ideas once my business with her is complete."

I didn't want to, but a glance at Cie and Voya saw them both give me almost identically smug looks before returning their attentions to their book and weapon cleaning respectively.

The fuckers.

"Yeah... why not."

* * *

 **Next up is Interlude XV: Collective Preparation**

 _Here we see that Illyan is up to her old ways, get a bit more information about their plans for the suicide mission, and generally keep trying to relax in advance of what is coming._ _Originally this was going to be half of a chapter, but thought it worked better as an interlude so we're reverting to the original outline where I had interludes between the last two operations. Chapter plans are Nikita, Shepard, and then Voya._

 _For those interested, I have a funsie-poll on my profile concerning who is most likely to die on the suicide mission. It won't affect anything, I'm just curious to see who you all think is most likely to end up killed on the mission._

 _ _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**__

 ** _ **Thanks, Kat.**_**

* * *

 ** _ **New Story Rec:**_** Omega: Pharaoh's Return

Written by Tusken1602, it is set in the AR-Verse and follows the lives of a few common citizens on Omega. Basically exploring what life is like on the station for people not living in the upper-tiers of society like Cieran and the others. Tusken is doing the writing and I'm doing the editing, you can consider it "AR-canon" if you like. Please go over and check it out if you have the time.

* * *

 _ ** **Review Responses:****_

 ** **Regarding Shepard**** I think it wasn't as clear as it could have been regarding Shepard & Cie's kid, or that people thought she was saying more than she did. Shepard is mostly angry at Cie because she knows he didn't _try._ Didn't try to change Emily's mind, didn't try to be even a little involved. I tried to hint in the Quarian-Trial section that she has some parental issues and very strong opinions on the matter. She did realize that she wasn't going to get anywhere more or less right away, partially thanks to Miranda, so it isn't as though she was harping on him heavily for a long period. That said, the revelation did further lower her already bad opinion of Cieran as a person and it's not likely to recover.

I'll take some blame for this, this story could have probably been far longer and gone more into depth on Shepard. We got a very good intro to her but it feels like some of it started to slip after that. I think some of my real life problems bled into this story, lowering its quality a bit, and left me with a greater desire to just finish it and get it over with than to properly flesh out Shepard, Garrus, and some of the others.

In a lot of ways my Shepard probably deserved far more time than she got to go into the complexities of who she is, where she came from, and why she sways between understanding and sympathy, and irritability and open dislike. If I had to write this story over again, I think that Shepard, Cieran, Miranda, and Voya would have been the only points of view, and they'd have probably rotated constantly to ensure an even balance.

One thing I am considering is writing a few Those Who Fight chapters from Shepard's point of view, and potentially from the rest of the canon characters, to better expand on them and on the verse in general. They'd probably be a mix of flash-backs (Shep's childhood for one), and the time in between AR:7 and AR:8.

 **Seabo76** ; They didn't lay into Shepard because they had expected that reaction, and because she stopped fairly quickly. If she'd continued then things would have gotten far more tense.

 **BJ Hanssen** ; yeah, her childhood isn't all that prettier than his was, in some ways it was far worse. A lot of her dislike for Cieran comes from that fact. She sees in him what she could have turned out to become if she hadn't made the decision to become something better, to dedicate her life to more than what it was.


	44. Interlude XV: Collective Preparation

I don't own the Mass Effect.

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 **Interlude XV: Collective Preparation**

* * *

 **The Huntress**

 _Nikita Korolev_

 **Date** : 01-14-2187

 **Location** _:_ Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

I collapsed onto the floor of the weight room, my chest heaving as I panted for breath, shirt and shorts stuck to my body. Kasumi was slumped next to me, her own tank-top and shorts just as sweaty as my own, the lithe Asian woman looking odd as hell without her usual hood and makeup. Everything but my new arm ached, and I didn't even have the breath to thank her as she passed me a bottle of water.

It was nearly at my mouth when she abruptly grabbed me and hauled me sideways, my stockier frame all but smothering her a half-second before Jack's body flew right through the space I'd just occupied to smack into the wall. She seemed to hang their for a second before gravity asserted itself, leaving her to drop over my legs.

"Fucking seriously." Trena T'Laria sighed, kicking her training sword back into her hand from where she'd dropped it. She hadn't bothered with a shirt, letting us see her stupidly toned arms and abs, and the fact that she wasn't even breathing all that hard. "I expected better from you three."

Jack let out a few more tired curses, while I pulled my face out of Kasumi's cleavage. Which, considering how sweaty she was, wasn't as pleasant a place as it might have otherwise been. The three of us got untangled while the woman 'training' us just watched.

"Seriously Jacqueline," T'Laria continued, "How many fucking times you going to let me throw you like that?"

The tattooed biotic just muttered a few curses, shuffling to one side to grab some water of her own. I used the chance to grab my fallen bottle, finding about half of it on the ground, but the rest still deliciously cold and crisp.

"You, sneaky-thief-bitch." The Asari pointed her fake sword at Kasumi, "You weren't half bad but your balance is still crap. Shouldn't have tried that high kicking shit. Korolev... Athame's fucking azure, pick a fighting style. Or a personality. Whatever the fuck you have to do to actually be consistent."

I winced as Detective Nikita sighed in the back of our head, _Told you to leave it to me._

 _Shut up._ "That bad?"

"Yes." Came the blunt reply. "For an ape girl you're big and strong, should have tried to close with me, maybe tackle my ass. Those stupid kicks were a waste of your goddess damned time, and were fucking painful as shit to watch."

I winced and ducked my head, feeling our face heat up a bit. "Sorry."

She grunted, "I get that you want to learn to fight without relying on whatever crap the Matriarch shoved into your skull, but now's not the time to be trying shit. Wait until later."

"I get it, I get it." I sighed, not looking up. "Detective takes over as soon as I hear gunfire anyway, so I don't think it will be a problem."

There was a mental snort, _Five years and you're still useless in a fight without me._

 _And you,_ I retaliated, _are a mess who freaks when she has anything resembling a feeling._

 _I do not!_ Detective Nikita snapped back at me, _You're the reason we haven't been able to get over Garrus and find a date, even on the eve of an honest to god suicide mission! If you'd just let me-_

A finger poked my cheek, and Kasumi's tired voice sounded in my ear, "It is really, really, _really_ creepy when you do that."

I felt my tanned features darken even further in embarrassment. Every since I'd... come out about our mental difficulties and quirks, my friends had taken far more notice of those occasions where we got lost in mental conversations. A few, like Cieran and Tali, took it in stride. Others, like Kasumi and Jack, got a bit weirded out when I started making faces or muttering to myself in two distinct tones of voice.

Jack rubbed at my hair as she wandered back over, making me flinch and scowl up at her, "What else we got?"

T'Laria rolled a shoulder, "Nothing for today. Get your asses cleaned up, then go find a place to relax. Ape's orders, no more training until we leave. Don't want anyone to hurt themselves."

"Hah." Jack snorted, thankfully distracting everyone else before they could see my mild dismay at the idea of that much time without scheduled training and companionship. "He wants everyone to have some time to get laid?"

The Asari snorted, "Pretty much, but if you tell him you're off to fuck Erana he might kill you on principle."

I couldn't help but smile as Jack seemed to shudder on reflex. Of all the relationships around that one might have been the oddest, if only because she'd told me the whole story. How Erana had been the one to trick her out onto dates and awkwardly but sincerely trying to seduce her, while Jack had struggled to figure out just how to react to the gangly maiden's attentions. Then there'd been the fact that Cieran was Erana's father and Jack's... well, mentor, while _Jack_ was Erana's teacher and mentor, leaving the whole thing in a weird place when it came to power dynamics.

Still, they seemed to really care about one another, and spent nearly all of their free time in each others company.

I rose as Jack sidled off, leaving me to help an unsteady Kasumi to her feet. T'Laria watched us with her, damnably, striking turquoise eyes, but her omni-tool chimed before she could speak again. Grimacing, she stalked away towards the back of the large room to take a call, leaving us mere Humans to limp our tired bodies out.

"You doing ok?" I asked as soon we were outside, trying not to notice that Kasumi was gripping my arm a little too tightly as we walked down the mostly empty hallway towards the elevators.

"No." The Japanese thief muttered, "I _hate_ being injured."

I winced a little. "Because you can't ghost around?"

"Because I get _caught_ ghosting around." She corrected, her normally flippant tones absent. The sound of Kasumi being serious remained utterly unnatural, leaving me feeling like the galaxy was askew. "I've been noticed more times in the last month than I have since I was fifteen."

 _Somehow the idea of her sneaking around as a teenager doesn't surprise me._

 _Me either._ "I'm sorry." I said aloud, "Can't be easy for you."

Her left hand waved vaguely, "Don't apologize, I know it's weird. It's just..."

Detective Nikita spoke from our lips, "You take a lot of pride in being the best, in not getting caught. It's crippling your self esteem for a bunch of mercs and pirates to notice you."

A long period of silence followed, before she muttered, " _Hai._ "

I shouldered the tactless zombie out of the drivers seat, holding my right hand out and flexing my fingers. "Look on the bright side, you don't have an entirely new arm to get used to."

"True." Something like a weak smile made her lips twitch as she glanced at the limb, "How is that going?"

"It's... going." I sighed. "I still feel kind of unbalanced, even though the doctors swear the weight is the same. And being able to have a sense of touch but not a sense of pain is taking a lot of getting used to. Almost broke one of the fingers in a door, if I hadn't been looking at it I might have snapped the thing off."

Kasumi winced, " _Kuso..._ that can't be fun either."

"It's not as bad as your situation." I wanted to make that very clear, "But... yeah, it's not fun."

She gave me a small grin as we reached the elevators, stepping into one and setting it for the upper levels. Once there we split apart, and I tried not to notice how close she stayed to the wall for support as she headed towards her room, while I headed to my own. Entering my password, my door opened to the small suite that I had been given after my rescue from Cerberus, all those months ago.

It wasn't much, a one bedroom apartment really, but it was cozy. Asari furniture dominated, along with rugs that I'd picked up from the markets. It wasn't a real replacement for my home on the Citadel, but it was in the same area code... just close enough to feel homey, but different enough to remind me that it wasn't. I'd thought it might turn into something more, but with the upcoming mission and my own nebulous position as both part of both Shepard and Cieran's wider entourages, I had no idea what would happen after this mission.

I'd probably have to make decisions... hard ones.

Kicking my shoes off, I made a beeline for the bathroom. Thirty minutes later I was clean, smelled like soap rather than sweat, and was sprawled on my couch in the same slacks and black shirt that pretty much everyone in the SBC owned. I'd forgone the socks, leaving me looking at my own dark toes as I felt my shoulders slump. Trying not to think about the future left me thinking about the present, which wasn't all that much cheerier of a subject.

"Three days, no training." I muttered out loud. "Shep is still on her way back from Tuchanka... nothing to do but wait and fret."

The other Nikita shrugged our shoulders, though for our sanity's sake she kept her voice within our head. _It isn't as though we don't have friends in the Blades. Can always hang out with them._

"On the eve of a suicide mission?" I retorted, shaking my head, "You heard Jack. They're all going to be with their lovers, spending time together that way. I don't want to be a third wheel."

I received a clear mental picture of eyes rolling, _So find a cute guy or girl. We haven't gotten any of that since we woke up on the Citadel, if not now, when?_

"Why are you so obsessed with sex lately?" I growled at her, remembering being caught staring at Tali by Cieran and the unholy teasing he'd subjected me to.

 _Because this is a su-i-ci-de mis-sion._ She drawled, enunciating the words to make the insult clear. _The odds of us getting killed are better than good, and I don't want to wake up in hell without at least one good memory to hold onto._

I shuddered a little, unable to keep the memory of our last encounter with Collectors from rising up. The searing pain of our arm being torn away, the disgusting, pork like smell of our own burned flesh, all on top of the desperate, close quarters nature of the fight. We'd been lucky, so very lucky to survive that engagement, and I didn't doubt we'd need even more luck to survive taking on the bugs in their own hive. True, we'd be in the safest position, helping the Cerberus crew defend the ships, but even so...

 _We came close enough to dying in that base,_ She continued, _Carpe Diem._

I bowed our head a little, thinking about that some more. She had a point... dammit, because she was a part of me. She wasn't telling me anything that I didn't already know, and hadn't already been trying to repress. Just as my own comments about her emotional issues weren't news to her either.

"I don't want to sleep with someone just for kicks." I still tried to find a way out anyway. "I want there to be a connection, I want it to be special."

Our mouth moved as she sighed, _That's because you're the emotions. Just let me drive and find someone attractive to drag back here._

My face heated up in embarrassment. "I..."

 _We know a couple of single guys in the Lancers,_ the Detective continued, _If you're open to a-_

"No." I shook our head, "No awkward cross-species things. I'm not Cieran."

There was a disgusted sound in the vaults of our brain. _Only Human guys who might be up for it are in the brothels, and even I think that's too far. And fuck Cerberus, not going near any of those creeps. So... we either need to wait for Tali to get back-_

I physically growled, "Not Tali. I won't take advantage of her like that, not when she's wounded. And... Christ, I don't even know..."

If I liked Tali like that. She was my best friend, the one who I thought understood the most, the one who I always felt I could talk to. Trying to turn that bond into a romantic thing seemed... wrong, somehow, even before you got into the cross-species complications of it. Or the fact that she'd never shown any interest in me beyond being my friend... and I'd been looking.

 _Then we find an experienced Asari, one old enough to be able to keep herself from melding._ Our arms reached out as her knuckles cracked, _I think we know a few of those._

I shook my head and shoved the Emotional Nikita back as she flushed and stuttered at the idea, pushing us off from the couch and twisting my neck and back to stretch out a bit more. I thought about ordering them by attractiveness, decided that was _way_ too crass, and instead simply picked out the one who I knew best.

 _Do we have to do this right now?_ Emotional's voice was almost pleading.

"Oh shut up." I muttered, walking over to the closet and digging out some sandals. "You already agreed or you'd be fighting for control."

There wasn't much she could say to that, so she stopped babbling and left me alone. I entirely approved of the quiet, locking the room's door before heading back to the elevators... and the skipping them for the stairs. Not that I really wanted to take them, but our legs were already getting stiff and if they didn't get stretched out we'd be locked up in a cramping ball of pain. And besides, we were only going one floor up.

The Lancer's lair was only mildly occupied today, the rest apparently off doing their own thing.

Ganar Chek made the table he was sitting at look small, while the tea cup in his hand looked absolutely tiny _._ Beside him was Mirala, the gorgeous Asari space-vampire lounging with her own cup in one hand, holding it in almost insolent fashion. Two Quarian men from the other team, my greybox reminded me that their names were Terro and Deshi, were at another table, some kind of board game between them. Both flickered glowing eyes in my direction, then returned to an argument about a potentially illegal move.

"Miss Korolev." The only Krogan present rumbled in greeting, "I see you survived your day's training."

Mirala let out a feminine little snort, "Trena must be losing her edge."

"She took it easy on me." I agreed, "Jack wasn't so lucky."

Chek turned his head a little in that odd way Krogan did, to better look at me with his right eye. "I do hope that she did not overly harm her? I would hate to be down such a fierce little warrior in advance of this engagement."

I waved a hand, "She's fine. Battered and her ego got bruised, but she's intact."

"Good." He bobbed his chin slightly, "Care to join us?"

"Thanks, but I was actually hoping to talk with Shyeel." I ignored Emotional Nikita's increasingly stressed whimpers, "You know where she is?"

Mirala waved a blue hand towards the door to Ciarán's office, "She was in with Cieran and Voya, last I saw her."

I thanked her and headed in that direction while they resumed a quiet conversation. Stepping into the office revealed it to be empty, a cleaning drone humming along the floor as it worked, and I stepped over it as I walked to the next door before knocking.

There was a long pause, just long enough for someone to check a camera and see who it was, then the door slid open to admit me.

Ciarán's entire personal team was present, and to my surprise, I found Erana and a freshly showered Jack present as well. They were spread out across the suite, evidently waiting for dinner to be served.

Illyan's massive body was stretched out across a couch, her sister seated beside her, while Jack was sipping from a glass of amber liquid in a nearby armchair. The three were watching a clawball game on a flatscreen, and gave me vague waves and nods before quickly returning their attention to the game as a team scored a goal. For her part, Shyeel sat alone at the dining area's table, her attention on a tablet in her hands, the room's dim lighting throwing her branded features in sharp relief.

Behind her, on the other side of the kitchen's island, Ciarán and Voya moved with the absentminded grace of people undertaking a long established routine. The pair slid around one another as they prepared food, meat sizzling on skillet before being shifted to plates, while water boiled around noodles and a smaller oven chimed as bread finished baking.

"Detective." Shyeel glanced up as I walked in, "There a crisis?"

I quickly held up my hands, "No, no, nothing like that. I'm just... well, kind of bored."

She smiled, "Pre-mission jitters?"

"Something like that." I replied, smiling back a little and trying not to look like an idiot as I did.

Shyeel wasn't as attractive as Liara, Mirala, or even Trena, but she was definitely striking. The brand on her cheek was harsh, true, but it lent her an almost wild, savage aspect that a part of me couldn't help but like. Like a lot really, especially with her sharp, electric blue eyes, the constant little curl to her lip on the scarred side that left her always looking cocky and confident. And she definitely filled out her shirt-

 _She's noticing!_

I blinked and realized that her lips had curled further, becoming a smirk. "Well, I'm sure we'll have room for another. Those two always make more food than we can eat."

 _Oh god, she knows we were checking her out..._ Emotional paced frantically around in our head, _Why did I let you convince me? God this is so-_

I ignored her in favor of walking around the table, "Ciarán, you don't mind?"

The slender man waved a hand in something like permission, though whether he heard me over Voya admonishing him for over-cooking a steak was debatable. Considering that the cut she was waving her claws at might have been medium-rare at the absolute worst, I had no idea what she was complaining about.

Shyeel pulled out the chair beside her, and I sat down. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She replied, using the excuse to flick her own eyes up and down our body. Normally I hated the elevator eyes look, but considering that I'd just done the same to her I knew I didn't have room to complain. Her voice lowered to something so quiet only I could hear it, "Hm. I'll think about it."

We swallowed a little, suddenly feeling like a nervous teenager, heat shifting lower in our body. "Oh. Just like that?"

That smirk appeared again, though it had a more predatory edge as her eyes seemed to lid. "Just like that."

I felt our dark skin flush as I glanced away. I'd thought I'd have to flirt a bit, maybe make my interest clear, but it seemed like she'd cut through that in about five seconds. It was a stark reminder that she wasn't a young maiden like Liara... this was a woman who was centuries old, with centuries of experience, and who had probably had hundreds of lovers over that time.

 _And your bright idea was to seduce her?_

I fought down a smile, _Think of the experience._

Emotional apparently couldn't think of a response to that, leaving me with a mental image of her gaping like a fish.

Our mental conversation died as Voya's girlish voice called, "Food! Someone help the giant idiot limp over here."

"Fuck off!" Illyan shouted back, heaving herself up to her feet on her own, though she accepted a heavy cane from her sister. She _did_ limp rather badly, her right leg locked in a straight line as she did, but it didn't seem to tire or hurt her and she collapsed into the chair on Shyeel's other side.

Jack took the seat at the far end, while Erana vanished into a side room before returning with another chair that she settled beside her girlfriend. She leaned down as she did, giving the tattooed woman a kiss. That made the biotic flush when Illyan made a low, growling sound, and the maiden giggled before heading into the kitchen to help carry dinner out.

This wasn't the first time I'd been allowed to eat with Ciarán and his... family, but the experience certainly remained unique.

He settled in on my left, at the table's end, while Voya took the place across from me on his right. Food was laid out on giant plates buffet style in the Batarian fashion, everyone able to grab whatever they liked from the numerous options. The steak, not cow, some unpronounceable livestock from Cathia, was a bit rare for my tastes but deliciously seasoned. Combine that with the bread, pasta, and Illium shrimp, and you were left with a delicious but heavy meal.

Which was partially the point, since the meal was as much about the conversation as it was about the food... all of which was intended to taste just as good cold as it did hot, leaving you in no real rush.

That left you able to listen to Illyan and Voya snipe at each other over slights and arguments that were years old, watch Ciarán admonished Erana for not taking her training seriously, smile as Shyeel teased Jack about the hickey not-quite-covered by her shirt. Occasionally someone would get kicked, or be told to hit someone on someone else's behalf, and it often felt like violence could break out at any second. But even so... there was an undercurrent of fondness and respect to all of it.

Little touches and looks between Ciarán and Voya that told you that the mentally damaged experiment and psychologically unstable assassin really _did_ love each other. Shyeel's little smirks and smiles made her look like a satisfied parent, or maybe a fond aunt, gazing over her extended family in approval. For her part, Illyan played the protective sister to Erana, testing Jack's worthiness, while also using her teasing and sniping to keep everyone distracted from the world outside, to keep the word games going, to keep everyone amused.

Of course, my own appreciation for the company rose and fell as Shyeel's hand played over my thigh under the table, or her foot rubbed up against my shin as she messed with me. She never came close to doing anything seriously inappropriate... but she made damned sure to remind me that she might be interested.

I had just managed to shove Emotional down long enough to play a hand over her own thigh, and was finding it pleasantly muscled, when Ciarán's omni-tool chimed with an incoming call.

The room went quiet on reflex, Jack's retort to something Illyan had said cutting off instantly as he held a hand up for silence. "Khari, this had better be an emergency."

 _"My sincere apologies, Reyja'krem,_ " The young Batarian woman who served as the building's communications officer came from the small speakers, " _But the satellite network is transmitting a code seven alarm."_

"Athame's azure..." Ciarán reached up and pinched the pale bridge of his nose. "Where?"

" _Kivu."_

He let out a Batarian sounding hiss between his teeth, "Transfer the feed to my office, and send an alert to Novgorod."

" _Yes sir."_

"Of fucking course." Voya snarled, rising from her chair, her wild mane of stiff white hair rustling like reeds as she shook her head. "Ancestors damn them all, of _course_ they had to... ugh!"

"Yeah." Ciarán didn't look any happier as he stood up as well, grabbing his plate as he did. "Nikita, you're with us, will need your opinion."

I nodded and rose, shoving aside everything else in favor of focusing on the problem. "A code seven, that's a Collector attack, isn't it?"

"Yeah." He shook his head, glancing at the others. "Shyeel, Illyan, help Erana clean up please. I'll keep you informed, if you don't feel like listening in."

The two Asari nodded in understanding, while I took the moment to put a bit more food on our plate before hurrying to follow Ciarán and Voya back to his office. It didn't take us long to get settled in, data screens flickering to life above his desk while the three of us took seats around it.

"How many people on Kivu?" I asked quietly, nudging my plate a bit so that it would stop distorting one of the projections. "And can you switch it to Thessian?"

"Hm? Oh, right." Ciarán shook his head before leaning forwards, fingers flicking over the keyboard and controls. Scratchy, slashing Batarian runes abruptly became the cursive-like writing of the Asari language, letting me actually read the information coming in. "Kivu... Kivu... here. Forty seven thousand Humans, at their last census. Twenty-One Eight-Two, so figure higher than that. Fifteen thousand Turians, about a thousand Asari on top of that."

Voya's forked tongue flicked over her lower lip, "None of whom will survive the attack. Seekers will trap them for husking, or just poison them."

I tried and failed to push aside the ideas of what was happening there. Forty seven thousand people, being paralyzed, being taken. Their alien friends and neighbors being butchered, or turned into husks. None of them able to do anything to seriously fight back...

 _Oh god, move over, Now._ Emotional Nikita's voice was filled with alarm as the emotions rose up, my hands shaking as I found myself at their mercy, unable to handle them. Fighting down an audible whimper, I closed our eyes and fled.

Cieran glanced at us. "You all right in there?"

"Yes... I think..." I sucked in a breath, still feeling the horror and sorrow, but no longer drowning in them. "Yes, sorry. Had to change drivers."

He grunted, a vaguely understanding sound, then exhaled as he read something else. "Two Corsair ships present, they won't last a few minutes."

I winced. "What are you thinking?"

Fingers drummed on the arm of his chair. "Shepard's reaction?"

Another wince. "She'll... definitely be upset. Can we save that many?"

Voya snorted, "Not unless we left them in those pods and just stacked them up like cargo."

And that was assuming the pods would keep working for us, keep providing life support. _How many could they take?_

Detective Nikita could handle numbers, she loved numbers. _They brought about half that out of the Hegemony, I think. Add another couple thousand for the ships they've got out here... maybe they could take most of them, but they'd have to bring their_ _entire_ _fleet to pull it off._

"Could you take your whole fleet through?" I asked, quickly holding up a hand when one of his eyebrows rose. "If the IFF can be spread out that much."

"No." Cieran shook his head, "Even if the IFF could be made to work, it would take weeks or months to get them all back here, get them properly equipped for the trip, and empty them enough to fit everyone. That's not including how many people and ships we'd lose to the wreckage on the other side."

"True." I lowered my eyes to my food, suddenly not hungry at all. "God, we're not going to be able to save those people, are we?"

"No." He replied, his tones blunt but not cruel... the sound of a man accepting reality, as much as he didn't like it. "Not their lives at least. But if we act quickly we can make their end easier."

I swallowed again, pushed the food away, then settled back to await developments.

They slowly rolled in as more data became available from the satellites that the Blades had scattered through the Traverse for just such circumstances. The entire affair ended up lasting about four hours, start to finish, though things became muddled as a Geth corvette took out two of the three deep-space probes observing the engagement. The last went dark, coming back online only when it detected that the Collectors were on the move again. The combined group made for the system's relay just in time to run smack into an Alliance battlegroup coming through the other side.

In the downtime we'd connected to Lawson and to Shep, both of their images showing up on the screens as they received the same information. The features of both women were drawn and angry, and the debate immediately became what could be done about it. Neither one of them wanted to admit what Cieran already had, that those poor souls were already gone, and they debated increasingly implausible methods of saving them until they realized how far off the path they'd gone.

By then the data from the final engagement had come in. We couldn't really follow the chaotic melee, the sensors just weren't that good at the distances involved, but it was clear that the SA's new Seventh Fleet put up one hell of a fight and destroyed more than a couple of ships before they could get through the Relay. And what we couldn't figure out from the limited information, the Cerberus AI's could.

" _One of the two Collector cruisers was assuredly destroyed in the fighting."_ Lawson spoke, her eyes on something out of focus. Probably a report of her own. " _As were most of the Geth ships. Alliance vessels are moving in patterns similar to lifeboat recovery, they may be picking up the pods containing those taken."_

"Assuming that the people inside are still alive." Cieran noted, making me wince as Shepard glared at him. "But that still left three of those little frigate things, plus the other cruiser. Far better odds for us in our attack."

Shep glowered at him a bit more, then nodded slightly, " _It does improve our odds, yes, but even if the Alliance rescued half of the colony that still leaves better than twenty thousand people."_

The Quarian stirred in her chair, her hair rustling once more. "For the hundredth time, there is nothing we can do about that."

I knew Shep well enough to tell when she was angry, and right now she was a couple of degrees past that. I quickly spoke before she could explode, or before an equally unhappy Lawson could say anything, "Maybe we should all think about options, and come back to that when you both get here."

Everyone glanced at me in varying degrees of surprise, then Lawson's floating image nodded slightly. " _That may be for the best. I will be on station tomorrow. Shepard?"_

 _"On schedule."_ The other woman replied, " _We'll dock the day after. The Broker reports her team will need a day to get the IFF in place, but that they can hook it up for all four ships."_

There was a series of nods as everyone once again agreed with the plan, the calls cutting out. Cieran gave me a searching look, his chin and head shifted to show... curiosity, I thought.

"It's just putting off the argument." He noted. "She's going to explode, or do something stupid once we get there."

I sucked in a slow breath, "Maybe, but... this gives her some time to settle down and think. Time for that Cerberus... for Lawson to do the same. Maybe it will calm them down."

The man shook his head, clearly not believing that, but not about to complain that I'd saved him a further headache right now. He and Chi exchanged a glance, then he bowed his head slightly in my direction and rose. They left without a word, which still irked me a little, even though I knew they thought they were being polite.

Biting my lip, I stared at nothing for a while before grabbing my plate and heading back into their home. Shyeel, Erana, and Jack were gone, and I heard Illyan's voice coming from the spare bedroom as she discussed some armor upgrade with Cieran. Not wanting to intrude further, I threw out my leftovers and put my plate in the sink before heading for the door out.

 _So..._ Detective Nikita mused, _Not really in the mood for a tumble anymore, are we?_

 _No,_ I sighed in reply, _Want to see if Kasumi is up for a trip to the bar?_

 _Sure, why-_

My mental conversation ended as I walked past a doorway, and a blue hand snapped out to grab my bicep and haul me into a room. The station spun a bit around us, whirling as someone pushed me back against a hard metal wall. I managed to focus my eyes in time to see Shyeel T'Voth flick a finger to shut and lock her door before her bright eyes turned on me... then lowered slowly, taking in the view before returning to fixate directly on my own eyes.

I suddenly felt like prey that had drawn attention to itself, our throat going dry as heat began to spread beneath my belly. "Um... Shyeel, I just-"

"Had to deal with a lot of crap." The Asari finished for me, "I know. I was listening. I also know that you were probably about to go drown both of your personalities in a bloody pity party. That kind of shit is _not_ what you need before a mission like this. You need to be relaxed, focused."

Detective Nikita shoved me out of the driver's seat almost instantly, our voice lowering, our prior conversation instantly forgotten as our... as _her_ excitement rose, more heat pooling between our legs. "And you're going to help with that?"

The mercenary took one step, then another, and then her chest was pressing against mine as she pushed me harder against the wall. A hand reached up to trace my jaw before two fingers took my chin between them, her voice lowering to something sensual. "You want me to?"

 _Yes?  
_

 _….yes._

"Yes." I whispered.

I had just enough time to see her smirk, then she all but lunged upwards to press our mouths together.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Interlude XVI: Pooled Memories**_

 _This chapter was surprisingly fun to write, compared to how hard it normally is to write Nikita. Think I'm finally used to her quirks, typically too late in the story to be able to give her any more screen time. Alas._

 _In other news, we see how people are reacting to the fact that they all know it's an extremely dangerous mission, an outsider's view of Cie and his team, and then the shocking fact that the Collectors launched another attack before everyone was ready to go after them._

 _Next two chapters will be Shepard and then either Voya or Cieran as we complete the preparation, and then launch the final act._

 ** _ _Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."__**

 ** _Thanks, Kat._**

* * *

 **Poll Update: "Who do you think are the most likely characters to die at the Collector Base?"**

1 - Illyan T'Donna: 9 votes  
2 - Shyeel T'Voth: 7 votes  
2 - Garrus Vakarian: 7 votes  
3 - Nikita Korolev: 5 votes  
3 - Morinth: 5 votes

* * *

 _ ** **Review Responses:****_

 **Marcuss;** Jack... Jack...hmm... _checks the list of people slated to die and smiles enigmatically._

 **DiscipleOfKek** ; The latter.


	45. Interlude XVI: Pooled Memories

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Interlude XVI: Pooled Memories**

* * *

 **The Shepherd**

 _Kaya Shepard_

 **Date** : 01-16-2187

 **Location** _:_ Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

I leaned an arm against the broad window, staring out at Omega's core... wondering at the insanity of it all.

Here I was, about to lead a coalition of Spectres, soldiers, mercenaries, and terrorists on a potential one-way trip through the Omega-4 relay, to lead them against an enemy that had been long viewed as nothing more than a dark fairy tale. We'd assembled some of the deadliest killers in the galaxy, some of its most vicious fighters, all in the effort to ensure we could succeed... and yet I trusted almost none of them.

Tela Vasir was charismatic as hell, always with a ready quip and a smile, but her grins never touched her eyes. She might have been a Spectre, but she'd also worked for several generations of Shadow Brokers in her time, assassinating their enemies in exchange for information, support, or simple favors. I only had Aethyta's word that she was trustworthy, and no offense to Liara, but the old Matriarch was hardly the most stable person around right now. If she saw some shiny piece of tech, or thought she could grab intel, I didn't doubt she'd send her people to grab it regardless of my orders.

Atia Severa wasn't all that much better. She reminded me a lot of Nihlus in how she used her affability to soften her probing questions and lethal edge. Her loyalty was to the Hierarchy, and then to the Council, but I had her in a slightly more trustworthy place than Vasir. She would do everything she could to complete the mission, though whether or not she'd follow my orders in the heat of the moment was another question.

Ash I knew I could trust, I knew she would follow me to the ends of the universe if I asked her to come with me. She was one hell of a soldier, and I was lucky to have her with, but I considered myself a whole lot less lucky to have her crew around. It hadn't taken more than an hour after we'd arrived before the few people allowed off the _North Cape_ had been thrown right back onto the ship by the Blades, then she and I had been forced to endure an acidic lecture on racism from Kean of all people.

It had been as humiliating as it had been entirely justified, which hadn't improved my mood at all. I was close to hating the man on a personal level, but I had to give the rat his due; he had a zero-tolerance policy when it came to racial prejudice.

And speaking of Kean... he and Miranda remained problems in their own ways, but now was hardly the time to continue thinking on those matters. We were due to leave at first shift tomorrow; the last thing I needed before the mission was to stress myself out with personal problems.

"Kaya?" Liara's voice was soft and tinged with sleep. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep." I replied, turning away and smiling as I saw her sleepy shuffle. She'd thrown on a robe but hadn't remembered to belt it, leaving the white silk to emphasize rather than conceal her nudity.

She yawned as she padded in my direction, moving behind me and wrapping her arms around my waist, resting her face against my shoulder. "Should have woken me up."

"I tried," I couldn't help but tease her, "You muttered something about it being too early, then started snoring again."

My wife let out a quiet huff, "I do not snore."

"You do." I smiled, wrapping my hands around her forearms, "You really do. It's kind of adorable."

Her embarrassment flickered across our bond as she buried her face against the back of my neck, a long groan her only audible response. We stayed like that for several minutes, enjoying each others warmth while she yawned, nuzzled my skin, and slowly forced herself to wake up enough to hold a proper conversation.

"It wasn't a nightmare," She spoke eventually, "That would have woken me up as well. What was it?"

"Stress, maybe." I shook my head, watching as the brick-like shape of a light cruiser drifted overhead. My cybernetic eyes letting me see Aria's logo on its flanks as it lazily moved towards Tuhi and Afterlife. "I never slept well before the big missions... guess even death didn't change that."

Liara exhaled softly, "We knew even less about Ilos, and had even less support. This is a moderate thing, compared to that."

"True." I murmured, "But Ilos didn't have twenty thousand civilians on it who we couldn't rescue."

Sorrow emanated from her in a low wave, her arms tightening around me. "I know."

"I know that Kean is right." I continued, unable to stop myself. "I _know_ we can't save them. It would be weeks, or months, until he could get all of his ships in place, and from what the Matriarch put in his head the debris field on the other side would probably cost him vessels coming through even with the IFF. Hell, we'll be lucky if all four of our ships get through. Short of killing every Collector on the station..."

"I know." She repeated quietly, warm lips leaving a soft, tingling kiss on my neck. "We can't. We don't have the time, the resources, the numbers..."

"Yeah." I closed my eyes. We would be on a time limit almost from the moment we landed, thanks to the probable number of enemies we were up against, and thanks to those damned Seeker swarms.

The obscuration tech that Mordin had come up with would help, especially in any open areas, but most space stations weren't resplendent with that kind of wide space. In all probability we'd be fighting through narrow tunnels and halls filled with the bugs, and our ability to operate would be entirely dependent on the ability of our biotics to keep the little creatures off of us. Sooner or later they'd exhaust themselves, even if we rotated the job, and then we'd all be paralyzed or poisoned, dead or worse.

Miranda had been the one to give us a last, hopeful option. If the Collectors were of such small numbers that killing them all _was_ an option, or if isolating and trapping them in sections of their own base was a possibility, we _might_ be able to clear enough of the debris around the station to let the Blades' heavy cargo ships through. And that was also assuming that we could also destroy any exterior defenses that might blow apart a wallowing civilian freighter when it came through the relay.

It was a fool's hope and we all knew it, but it was at least some kind of plan to look to.

"I'm getting tired, Liara." I stared outside once more, at the red tinged haze that filled the core. "Humans can't keep fighting forever without breaking... I think I'm getting close to that limit. This is going to be a bad one, and we all know it. Kean just wants to blow the place, but hell if any of us know if that will work. Miranda and I want to rescue people, but we... dammit, we might get some people out... some kids out..."

I heard her inhale, then her arms shifted, hands grasping my hips to turn me around. "Kaya... you're not going to break. I'm here for you."

My eyes closed as I leaned forwards, resting my forehead against hers. "I'm already broken, Liara. I broke when I was fourteen, and I shattered when she died. I'm held together by omni-gel patches, tape... and by you. If this goes bad, if I lose you..."

"You won't." She promised, pulling me against her, her lips warm and deliciously soft against mine. It was a gentle kiss, and she pulled back a few moments later, "We're going to make it through this together."

"Liara-"

That beautiful mouth cut me off again, and this time she didn't stop quickly. Instead her tongue gently slid between my lips, playing with mine as her body pressed even closer. Affection, love, and healthy desire began toll out from the bond, the emotions rising like a gentle tide to wear away my stress and worries. God but I didn't deserve her... her love, her worship, her everything.

As if we were already melded, as if she had heard the words, Liara broke the kiss and stepped back. The sclera of her eyes was already starting to darken, becoming a shade of gray. "Kaya. What have I told you about thinking like that?"

"I wasn't-" I started to say, then my breath caught when she negligently rolled her shoulders, the robe falling to the floor. It wasn't as if I hadn't seen her naked before, hadn't touched her everywhere on her perfect body, but seeing her standing there in that moment was... something new. The low red light of Omega accented her normally soft features, as if the station itself was trying to corrupt her, lending her a sultry arrogance I'd never seen on her before.

It was incredible... it was also distracting as hell, which was of course the point. She never liked it when I wallowed in my past, in my worries. Normally she distracted me with work, having me help her translate Prothean data, or finding a secluded space to train me in biotic arts... but once and a while, she elected to go with the standard Asari method for dealing with stress.

"Kaya." Her voice was low, husky, the gray of her eyes growing closer to black as she turned away from me, her bare hips and ass swaying. Another spike of lust came across the bond, and I felt heat and desire that wasn't entirely my own rush down from my heart to... other parts of my anatomy. "I'm going back to bed."

I didn't hesitate for a moment before following, my shirt hitting the ground by the couch, my shorts ending up near the bedroom door. Liara turned just in time for our bodies to crash together just before the bed, my strength heaving her up into my arms. She let out a musical sound of amusement and joy that made my cybernetic heart skip a few beats, her legs snapping around my waist while her arms slid around my neck.

By the time we hit the bed a few seconds later, our lips were already moving in another deep kiss, and her mind was already reaching out to join with mine.

" _Tomorrow's problems are for tomorrow_." Her voice was a whisper in my mind, the words barely intelligible as one of her thighs worked between my legs, pleasure spiking in my brain. " _Tonight, we are one. I love you, Kaya Shepard. I will never leave you."_

I tried to respond in kind, tried to tell her that I loved her, that I didn't deserve her... then she began to move, and I lost track of everything but her warmth, the connection between us, and the feeling of her body against mine.

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 _Miranda Lawson_

 **Date** : 01-16-2187

 **Location** _:_ SR _Normandy II_ , Illium Minor Docks, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

I sipped from wine, staring out of the lounge's viewport, watching as the Silver Blades began their evacuation, a trio of heavy cargo ships stretched out in a row away from my ship. It was going to be a slow start, mostly because the majority of their civilian typed ships were still unloading at Novgorod or otherwise occupied, but I knew they planned to accelerate the process sooner rather than later.

Which would leave the free Humans in the Traverse with a very dangerous neighbor.

In the short term the SBC under Ul Massa would be a net ally and a very useful tool in protecting the worlds in the Deep and Central Traverse from pirates and national interests alike. In the long term she could become an existential threat, especially if she could maintain the allegiance of Kean and several others of his Omega clique. Ven ul Thusan, in particular. The clever Batarian man had seemed to hit upon a fashion to make the Batarian caste and ranking system palatable to aliens, removing the overt and idiotic aspects in favor of more subtle financial and social manipulations.

If we all survived this, he might be someone we had to eliminate in twenty or thirty years, depending on how the war fell out.

I shook my head a little and took a longer drink from my glass, the rich flavor assuring and calming me. Now was hardly the time for such worries of the distant future, regardless of how pertinent such plans might become. Better to focus on both the immediate and the short term.

Behind me, there was a soft clicking sound, EDI's method of asking permission to end the privacy session I'd enacted.

"Go ahead EDI." I spoke, not turning around.

"Operative Genosa would like permission to enter." She told me simply.

I rolled my left hand, "He may, thank you."

"My pleasure, Miss Lawson." Her voice came as the door opened, heavy footsteps as the man walked into the room. I tracked him by sound as he moved to the bar listening as he poured himself a drink of his own. Probably from the bottle of red wine I'd left on the counter. Then he moved again, entering my vision to sit on the other couch.

Arturo remained as he had always been; distinctly average. He was just under six feet tall, well built without being overly muscled or overly fat, features that were neither ugly nor attractive, black hair lightly peppered by gray as he moved into a vigorous middle life. Today he wore the same Cerberus officer's uniform that I did, the well tailored outfit lending his plain features some gravitas.

"Arturo." I nodded to him, watching as he idly swirled his wine. "What is the occasion?"

"I desired some company." He replied, his words only lightly accented by his Greek origins. "Given that we are the only living souls aboard, I thought you might feel the same."

I hummed quietly, "You did not wish to avail yourself to the entertainments of Illium Minor?"

He gave me a small smile, "I am not Kelly, or as young as I once was. Losing myself in the arms of a prostitute, or to a haze of alcohol on the eve of battle holds little appeal to me. I would sooner simply relax."

"I quite agree." I replied, settling back into the cushions behind me. "What do you think?"

"Of the mission?" Arturo asked. "I believe we will achieve a bloody and expensive victory."

That more or less aligned with my thoughts on the matter. I had every confidence in our abilities, particularly in Shepard's. She had never yet failed a combat assignment and I doubted that she would start now. Further, Kean and his people were very good at this kind of thing on their own, and while they were more... mortal than Shepard, they were still elite veterans. My own people, as painful as it was to admit, were the weak link.

We'd had to kill most of the experienced combat agents within Cerberus during the schism, and most of the rest had stayed loyal to Harper or decided to get out of the business entirely. Arturo wasn't half bad in a fight, but he wasn't even at the level of Kean's green Lancers. His focus had always been in information and spying, much as Kelly's was... and the pair of _them_ were several levels above the ship's crew and other agents I'd gathered.

With Jacob gone, Jesse Church was my only real combat agent, not including EDI and EVA...

I shook my head against the thoughts, against the memory of the funeral of one that I had held outside of Peregrine. I had put as much thought into the matter as I could, given the time constraints, to worry more on the subject would do nothing at this point. And Jacob... had been laid to rest. I would miss him, but life had to go on. He would not have desired me to lose focus, to fail to save all who we could, simply because he was gone.

He had died doing what he loved. Protecting his fellow man... no more words needed to be said.

"Did you hear from your family?" I asked, as much from a desire to be polite as from a desire to change the subject within my mind.

"I did." He nodded, "They are doing well, evidently the economy in Athens is booming. My niece is evidently pregnant, which has my sister in an uproar."

I blinked, "I thought your niece was sixteen?"

"Eighteen." He corrected, "But her boyfriend is in his late twenties. Alexa was highly disapproving of the relationship even before a child was brought into the matter.."

That made me frown, "Is she being taken advantage of?"

Arturo shrugged, "It is always hard to tell. She is, of course, utterly besotted with him, and he at least presents a front of caring. If nothing else he is a local shopkeeper with a store and a mortgage, so they are hardly about to elope to far away lands."

"Ah." I nodded and sipped from my wine, "I suppose that's something."

He gave me a small smile, "Yes. What of your own? How does Orianna fare?"

"Quite well." I replied, the usual mixture of pride and worry that I always felt for my younger twin rising within me. "She was already moved to Novgorod, and evidently her intelligence has been noticed by the Administration branch. They have earmarked her for a fast-track promotion, possibly to head some kind of research and development unit."

The smile faded into a frown, "Is that wise? For her to take such a position there?"

I shrugged, "Kean has made it clear that she is not a prisoner or a hostage, and is as free to quit as any other non-military employee. I would of course prefer to take her to Peregrine base but..."

"The mercenary world is likely safer right now." He guessed. "And I doubt her surrogate parents would enjoy being trapped in a military compound on a jungle world."

"Hardly." I agreed quietly. "And... I do not wish for her to live the same life that we do. She deserves more than to be involved in open battle one week, in an infiltration mission the next, and then rounding out the month by trying to track down an alien psychopath."

"All the while wondering if Kai Leng or one of his super-ninjas are hiding behind the next corner." Arturo added, his brown eyes half closing as he took a fortifying measure from his glass. "No, I do not blame you at all for keeping her away for now. I would not ask any of my kin to join us either."

"On that note, we will have to expand our recruitment farther once we complete this campaign." I noted. "EDI and EVA may be able to locate suitable candidates, but a personal touch will be needed to bring them in. No offense intended, EDI."

"None taken." The AI hummed from the room's speakers, "We are both aware that our personality algorithms require growth."

My Greek companion smiled slightly, "Admitting the weakness is a good first step. What did you have in mind, Miranda? Combat agents?"

"Only a few." I answered, "Enough to give us a battle team aboard this ship, but I'm more interested in expanding our intelligence sources. We have a reasonable degree of contacts, yet far too few cell leaders, analysts, and investigators. If Humanity is to be protected beyond the borders of the Alliance we will need to expand greatly."

He nodded slowly, "If I may make a suggestion, ma'am?"

I waved a hand, "You never need to ask, I am not Jack Harper."

That drew another little smile, and a nod of something like approval. "I believe that we should work to obscure just who we are from most of our employees to isolate our main operations. We know that Harper, and likely both Brokers, will be attempting to infiltrate us if they are not already. Further, by avoiding... advertisements, we will likely be able to utilize aliens as sources of information."

I considered that. It was not a new tactic to Cerberus, a few cells had tried similar ideas in the past, though with mixed results. It would, however, be a new concept when applied to the organization as a whole. Given our very limited manpower and assets, and the very real danger of infiltration, it was not a wholly stupid idea.

Leaning forwards, I set my glass aside and began the conversation in earnest. The technical conversations about the future was not the debauchery that I knew the others would be indulging in, but I found it to be both stimulating and relaxing in my own way. Dealing with the Collectors would eliminate one actor from the stage, but the puppet masters would still remain. We would need information and resources to counter them, to gain the knowledge we needed to expose them, and the strength with which to fight them when it came to that.

We spoke for several hours, Arturo and I, before retiring for the evening, my mind suitably tired from the intellectual debates. When I reached the quiet of my cabin, I wasted little time before finding my bed, EDI darkening the lights without a word.

Then... I slept the dreamless sleep of true rest, knowing that I would need my strength on the day to come.

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Cieran Kean_

 **Date** : 01-16-2187

 **Location** _:_ Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

* * *

I woke slowly, as warmth pressed against my lips in steady, familiar motions. It shifted away even as I came to, then returned, moving in the opposite direction as Voya rubbed her cheeks through my goatee and against my lips.

"Time already?" I asked through a yawn.

"No." She murmured, "Still six hours until our alarm."

My sleep addled brain struggled through the math, eventually calculating that I'd been asleep for two hours at the absolute most. It also noted that Voya was mostly draped over top of me, her bare breasts on my chest as she resumed slowly nuzzling me. Combine the two facts together with the realization that her left hand was on my shoulder and holding on to me tightly, and I worked out that she had just had a nightmare. A rather bad one at that.

The worry and concern woke me up rather quickly, and I pushed aside the heavy waters of sleep in favor of wrapping my arms around her strong waist. Rather than stiffen, her furnace-hot body all but melted against me as she lowered her head, burying her face in my neck, inhaling deeply as she did.

"Orb?" I asked quietly.

There might have been a slight nod, and I closed my eyes against a surge of anger. That fucking Leviathan had a done a number on her, far worse than it had done to Illyan back on Benihi. Or... being more honest with myself, it was more likely that Voya just wasn't as mentally stable as Illyan, and was having a much harder time dealing with the after-effects as a result. Either way it didn't change the fact that the creature had now hurt _two_ of the people I cared most about in this fucked up galaxy.

"We're going to kill that stupid shrimp." I muttered darkly, not entirely to make her feel better. "We're going to find it and glass the planet it's hiding on. Maybe we can boil it in its own ocean and send the recording to the rest of them, tell them to fuck off."

She made a mewling sound half-way between a laugh and something darker, "We don't have a dreadnought."

"Then we'll pay someone else to do it, or just use nukes." I shook my head, absently stroking the stiff hair covering her back as I held her. "Athame's ass, maybe we'll steal one from somebody. Point is we're going to kill that fucking thing."

Voya was quiet for a heartbeat or three, then hot lips brushed against my neck as she spoke, "I love that you mean that."

I frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

An honest laugh came out of her at that, and teeth pricked at my skin as she bit me almost playfully. "Idiot male. Such a _keshin._ "

"You love me," I reminded her. Even if I wasn't quite sure why she was suddenly giggling, I would take amusement over the stress and fear she'd been showing before.

"Don't remind me." Came the automatic reply, her body shifting, lifting away as she kicked a leg over my waist. I blinked in surprise, watching in the dim light as she settled on top of me, our shorts the only things preventing the position from being rather intimate. My body, naturally, took note of the heat and its location, and the fact that she was leaning back enough to let me see her breasts, and began to react at once.

"Voya." I exhaled her name and half closed my eyes. "What are you doing?"

She seemed to consider her words, the skin around her eyes darkened a little as she felt me. "We didn't do anything last night, we just went to bed. That seems wrong, doesn't it?"

I blinked at her. "What do you mean we didn't do anything? I went down on you until you finished, twice, and then you pleased me in return."

There was a quiet scoffing sound. "With my hand, Cieran. Not with..." Her hips rolled, and I felt my hands tighten reflexively around her waist. "I didn't even use my mouth. You can't tell me that you don't _want_ me right before a mission like this."

I did want her... goddess but I'd wanted her like that since we'd gotten together. I wasn't lying to her, I _did_ enjoy the pleasure she gave me, but there was a part of me that wanted more. The aspect of my soul that had enjoyed the half-violent sex with Nynsi, then Rane's submissive and willing nature, then Illyan's confident lead... it badly wanted to see which category that Voya would fall under. Wanted to bend her over the bed and see her wild mane of hair shake, wanted to hold her beneath me as we both moved, wanted to be held down in return as she rode me and...

The skin Voya's eyes darkened considerably as I hardened further, and I felt her claws prick into my shoulders as she inhaled slowly. She tried to hide it but I still saw the slightly shake in her limbs, heard the catch in her breath.

I closed my eyes and fought down my urges, as I had so many times. "Voya... we've been over this. I'm not going to ask you to do anything you're not ready for, that you don't want to-'

She interrupted me, her voice low and close to angry. "I _do_ want this Cieran. I'm sick of not being able to give you anything back for everything you've done for me. You've... _keelah,_ you've done _everything_ for me. Killed for me, saved me, healed me, held me... I want to do this for you."

"You've done all of that for me," I protested, shaking my head a little. "Voya, you don't-"

She interrupted me again, this time by planting a hand on my face and shoving my head hard to the left. I started to struggle, then felt pain explode from the right side of my neck as she bit me far harder than the play bites she usually gave me. A gasping sound escaped as I reflexively went limp, trying not to shiver as she pulled back, the warm heat of her tongue flicking over the spot.

"You," Voya murmured quietly, "Are going to shut up now, and we are going to try this. Put your hands above your head."

I stared at her, then let out a slow breath. Then, as quickly as I could, I bucked my hips and threw her off of me. She let out a viciously startled oath as I rolled us, her eyes impossibly wide as I ended up on top of her, my hands on either side of her shoulders.

"No." I said, just as quietly. "If we're going to try this, I'm going to make sure you enjoy it far more than I do."

A spark of anger appeared in her gleaming eyes. "This is supposed to be about _you,_ you stupid... mmm!"

Her words cut off when I leaned down and my left cheek across her lips, my head lowering further to her neck. Hot skin yielded as I bit her gently, ignoring the way she grabbed my shoulders, her claws breaking my skin as she growled at me.

"Cieran." My name was more of a hiss, "Stop it and get on your back so that-"

I played my cheat card, abruptly moving downwards and wrapping my lips around the peak of her left breast. I had no idea if it was a Quarian thing, or just a Voya thing, but her chest was by far the most sensitive part of her body. She'd declined offers of me going down on her in favor of having me 'attend' to her in the past, and I was fairly sure I could get her off entirely just from this.

And for all of her tough talk about this being about me, she never once stopped me or even seriously tried to slow me down. She did try to keep growling and cursing at me, but it seemed rather hard to do as mewls and moans broke her words. Within a couple of minutes her hands were clutching my head in place instead of cutting up my back. My own hands were hardly idle, touching her sides gently, working through her coarse body hair to find the soft skin beneath, then ghosting downwards, between spreading legs to bring her more pleasure.

She came apart for me fairly quickly, once I began in earnest, her mewls becoming little more than strained growls as she did.

Then, because I wanted to make this clear, I sent her over the edge again with hardly a pause to let her recover.

After that she tried to push me away, using her legs to dislodge my hand as she gasped and panted. That lasted until I moved down enough to lay between her legs, my lover letting out a keening sound of surprise and pleasure as I used my lips in place of my fingers. Her third climax wasn't as severe, her sensitivity and tiredness robbing her of some of her strength.

Only when she stopped twitching did I move back up, laying on my side beside her as she panted, her small chest heaving intriguingly as she tried to catch her breath.

" _Kesh... in..._ " She gasped. "I... hate... you..."

In response I leaned in an nuzzled her neck, amusing myself by kissing the soft skin and hair there. "You love me."

"No... I don't. You're an... asshole." The growl was almost strained. "Making me... I hate you..."

My left hand ran down her side, and I gently wrapped my fingers around her waist to pull her onto her side as well. Voya glowered at me as best she could, the odd nature of the Quarian blush making her look like a raccoon as she realized what I wanted.

" _Keshin..."_ She repeated quietly, not resisting as I moved my hand again, very carefully taking her thigh and lifting it so that it would wrap around my waist. "Why?"

"So you'd be relaxed." I replied softly, trying to adjust us. It wasn't easy given how exhausted she was, and how keyed up I was, but I wasn't about to risk a more dominant position. "And because I love you, and there isn't anything I love more than seeing and feeling you come apart like that."

"Such an asshole." The mutter was reflexive, then she made a long, high pitched noise as I fought not to groan. "Oh _keelah..._ don't move."

I didn't, Athame knew how I stopped myself, but I held myself back from simply rolling her onto her back and taking her. In dire need of a distraction, I slid my arms around her, one around her waist, the other around her neck and shoulders, and her own did the same as she clutched at me. On instinct I leaned in and kissed her, the smoke and fire of her mouth moving immediately, her burning tongue sliding into my mouth.

Then her hips began to roll, and things... progressed.

She sprawled over me in the aftermath, her body limp with the sleep of the truly exhausted. The heat from her body was already a bit much, but I couldn't bring myself to move her. I was too content, too relaxed, and enjoying the simple act of holding the woman I loved as she slept, her nightmares forgotten.

* * *

 **Next up is Act VI: Dante's Inferno**

 _Where Liara distracts Shepard, where Miranda indulges in some planning for the future, and where Cieran and Voya finally go all the way. From here we'll be moving directly into the attack on the Collector base. Right now the plan is for seven chapters, followed by three epilogue chapters to finish this story off._

 _To be a little more clear on their overall plan; the Collector base mission is being played heavily by ear since no one is really sure what to expect once they get through. Their rough plan is for a smash and grab kind of commando operation similar to the game's mission, but they also have contingencies to downgrade it to a reconnaissance in force (if they can't figure out how to board it, if its defenses are too good, etc), to simply attach nukes to the outside and try to blow it that way (a last resort if the boarding teams get mauled), and then the admittedly long-shot chance of actually trying to rescue anyone still alive._

 _For all they know, even with the IFF, they could simply get obliterated the moment they come through the relay, and they have no hard data at all on the collector base beyond the fact that it its a large space station (or at least, cieran and shepard know as much thanks to his will and information)._

 _My long term goal is to have this entire series done by the end of this year so that I can focus entirely on my original writing in 2019. We'll see how that plan goes, but I think it's a nice goal to have._

 ** _Poll Update:_**

 _1st; Illyan - 10 votes_

 _2nd; Garrus - 8 votes_

 _3rd; Shyeel - 7 votes_

 _4th; Nikita - 6 votes_

 _5th; Mirala/Morinth - 5 votes_

 _Everyone else as 3 or fewer votes right now._

 _ _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**__

 ** _ **Thanks, Kat.**_**

* * *

 _ ** **Review Responses:****_

 ** **BJ Hanssen;**** It's a little significant, at least in the sense that it shows that the Admiral of the Seventh is aggressive enough to rush off at the first sign of trouble.

 ** **Guest / Oleg V;**** Thank you both for the compliments and kind words, glad to hear from you both **.**

 ** **Angelform;**** Partially touched on in this chapter, but there's a lot of factors as to why. The threat of the Seeker swarms, the massive debris field around the station, the unknown number of collectors, the unknown number of Collector ships, the limited shipping available... etc. See my author's note.


	46. Operation: Dante's Inferno I

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Dante's Inferno**

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 _Miranda Lawson_

 **Date** : 01-17-2187

 **Location** _:_ SR _Normandy II_ , Galactic Core

* * *

"Two more drones, port side, high angle!" I snapped, clutching at the command railing as Moreau rolled the ship between the separated halves of an ancient dreadnought. "Another aft!"

"Locked!" Came the shout from Ensign Goldstein, her own orders snapping out to the men operating the ship's GARDIAN arrays and missiles. One of the high attackers, and the one coming in behind, vanished in tiny explosions on the main display, but the signal for the last veered behind another wreck before we could get a lock.

"Moreau!" I barked, "Another pass on the cruiser's ventral side!"

"On it!" The pilot's reply came from the speakers around me, the ship whirling 'downwards', the shield icons flashing continuously as we plowed through smaller pieces of wreckage.

"EDI," I continued, "Where are the others?"

The AI's voice was mildly frazzled, but she was at least capable of responding, unlike EVA. The two were tasked beyond capacity trying to both protect our ship and launch electronic counter-attacks to help divert attention away from the other vessels.

"The _North Cape_ is intact and engaged by several drones in sector two. The _Cutting Moonlight_ is affecting running repairs near the relay." There was an ominous pause, her voice lowering, "I cannot locate the _Admiral Garcian._ "

My fingers tightened as we finished our partial loop, the ship banking around yet another wreck to reveal the battered form the Collector heavy cruiser struggling to adjust its course towards the Relay, probably in the hope of finishing Vasir's battered vessel off. Moreau, impossible man that he was, put the ship into an extreme corkscrewing roll that seemed to throw off the particle lance directed our way. The enemy's lasers were more focused, red flashing on the ship's readout as more of our armor was burned away.

But that meant that the point defenses were not engaging the torpedoes and missiles that we launched, and Goldstein let out triumphant shout as she directed the main cannon to blast a wider hole in the enemy's belly for said weapons to tear into. The missiles struck first in a rapid volley, tearing into the Collector's innards, clearing the way for the heavy torpedoes to penetrate.

The rock like vessel seemed to bulge around its middle, then simply disintegrated in a flashing explosion, creating even more debris and wreckage to work around.

Around me the crew let out vicious cheers as fists were pumped into the air and neighbors slapped on the shoulders. I gave them a few seconds to enjoy the victory while I tried to think through our next step. Moreau was already bringing the ship back around, towards the ruined dreadnought we'd been using for cover, knowing by instinct we needed some time to re-evaluate the situation.

We'd come through the Relay expecting to have issues with the debris, but the sheer volume of wreckage had been staggering. Most of it appeared to be Prothean in origin, probably from some suicidal attack on the Collector's predecessors if not the Reapers themselves, but there was plenty of evidence of both more modern and far older shipping as well. In either case, the origin of it all mattered less then the fact that Spectre Severa's _Admiral Garcian_ had immediately clipped something on her arrival, and it had only been fickle chance that had let the rest of us avoid such a fate.

There had hardly been time for her to signal that she was going to go silent and find a ruined heavy to hide in before the Collectors had jumped us. Five of their small corvettes along with their cruiser, and a good number of the damnably annoying drones, had come winging away from a station at least as large as Omega.

The _Normandy_ and _Cutting Moonlight_ had taken point as the most heavily armed vessels, while Shepard and Williams had taken the _North Cape_ on an end-run to attack the cruiser's vulnerable engines. While we had destroyed three of the small ships in good order, Vasir's ship had taken the brunt of their attention in return, and been forced to break off. One of the corvettes had pursued, stumbled across Severa, and the two had since vanished deeper into the debris field in a running battle of their own.

For her part, Williams had lamed the cruiser with an excellent torpedo run, then shown off her ship's gunnery by sniping out the last corvette as she winged past. Both of our vessels had made several runs on the cruiser after, but been frustrated by its own adroit use of debris for cover, and the constant attentions of the fighter-analogs. It had taken us a good thirty minutes to whittle their numbers down enough to make that final attack, and both ships' stealth systems had been thoroughly compromised by battle damage.

Which was going to make returning to Sahrabarik a dangerous proposition, depending upon Aria's mood.

"EDI, put me through to the other ships, and deploy recon probes to analyze the station." I ordered once I'd gotten my thoughts together. "Shepard, Vasir?"

" _Vasir here._ " The Asari's voice came in first, an audio signal only.

"Sitrep?" I asked

" _To use a Human idiom; I've got good news and bad news."_ She replied, her voice dry, " _Good news is my ground team is alive and should be good to go. Bad news, we're limping on auxiliary power and not sure how long that will last. Captain wants to take her back and try and reach Omega before it fails entirely. We're going to hop in shuttles and link up with you."_

I grimaced at the idea of taking shuttles out in this muck. "Confirmed, we'll double back and clear space for you to land in our hangar."

" _Obliged._ " I heard someone shouting orders as the channel went dead.

" _Lawson, Shepard."_ The other woman spoke before I could, " _I heard that. We're dealing with a couple more of those Oculus things, should be clear in a minute or two. Have you heard from Severa?"_

"No." I exhaled the word, "No transmissions or signals, at least not that we can make out."

There was a low curse in Spanish before she spoke again, " _Confirmed. There doesn't seem to be any active defenses based on our scans. Can you confirm?"_

"I'm about to launch probes to check, will update you as appropriate." Shepard made a few noises of polite agreement, then likewise ended the transmission. I spent a few minutes updating Kean and his people in the cargo bay as to our status. In return, he gave me a few terse replies that everything was still intact down below despite the red coloration of the ship's schematic on the sensors, but that all of his people were suited up for vacuum just in case.

While we spoke, the ship powered back towards the limping Asari vessel, careful to keep the larger pieces of destroyed shipping between us and the station. We encounter a pair of curved Asari shuttles about halfway, and it didn't take long to get confirmation that Vasir and her people were aboard in the hangar. Then we double-backed once more, heading to link up with the _North Cape_.

EDI's voice came as the similar vessels drifted beside one another, lurking and waiting for the data to come back. "We cannot locate an active defensive system, Miss Lawson. However the angle of the probes did reveal an expansive area just beyond the station that resembles a shipyard. There are several dozen ships there in what appears to be several stages of completion."

I fought down the urge to curse, "Details?"

"We detect at least ten additional cruisers, two dozen or more of the corvette analogs, and the initial skeleton frames of what may be intended as dreadnoughts." She replied, "There is a great deal of interference preventing a precise scan, but we estimate that a large number of the smaller vessels are near completion."

Meaning that if we elected to depart, it was entirely possible that we would face similar or rising numbers of enemy ships when we came back. Worse, given the precise nature of the Relay in question, our entry location would be utterly predictable... even the smaller ships could easily destroy cruiser sized vessels in those circumstances.

Drumming my fingers on the railing around me, I asked the next question, "Your analysis for the station? Are you absolutely sure there are no active defenses?"

"No, ma'am." She replied demurely, "Given their level of technology, it is entirely probable that there are hidden weapons we cannot locate. However, given the nature of the relay, the superior technology of the Collectors EVA and I's best... _guess_ is that the station does not mount extensive weaponry. There would be little need."

Which made a certain degree of sense, but as the AI had said, they weren't sure. Either way, it was time for the go no-go decision, and since I had been placed in naval command by acclamation, it was my decision. Which meant the consequences and responsibility for the reactions of the others would be on my head if I chose incorrectly. "Is there any sign of Spectre Severa?"

"No ma'am." EDI repeated. "No signals of any kind. Considering the level of debris it is unlikely that we could locate them in a direct search within a reasonable time-frame."

Meaning that the Collectors would already be fortifying the interior of the station, and the hours it would take trying to track down the Turian frigate would be hours they could use to further prepare themselves. That would make this a true suicide mission and effectively eliminate the option of boarding, denying us any ability to save anyone, and any chance to gather intelligence on the Reapers.

We had likely caught them entirely by surprise, as evidenced by their unprepared and scrambled nature when they had come out to meet us, as well as the lack of a picket anywhere near the Relay itself. Their interior defenses would likely be just as poor, but not for long.

In either case, it was time to stop dithering. I had to make the decision before I gave the enemy all the time they needed.

"They will have to make their way to the station or back to Omega on their own." I said after a few final moments of thought, "Identify the least likely area to feature defenses. Alert Kean and Vasir that we are about to proceed."

"Yes ma'am" Came the reply.

"Moreau," I continued, "Pick the best course to the location that EDI and EVA identify... and select one that the _North Cape_ can follow."

The pilot made a few muttered remarks about incompetent rookies and kindergarten, and rather than simply blitz us forwards in a rush of extreme maneuvers he took an island-hopping route, moving from one large piece of debris to another. No incoming fire came in, aside from a few drones negligently swatted down by our point defense systems, and the passing sensor trails indicating that more had pulled back towards the shipyard, evidently intending to defend it.

Which wasn't an illogical maneuver. If we'd had more firepower we might have been able to destroy said facility, perhaps achieve some kind of blockade... dammit. We just didn't have the _time._

We made our rush perhaps ten minutes later, coming in to one of the stations open hangars. Evidently the Collectors were not as paranoid as people like Kean or Aria, there weren't any interior guns to destroy anyone doing such a thing. I still had Goldstein and her subordinate gunners blast every possible position there might have been one, wrecking nearly all of the docking equipment and leaving us to land precariously on uneven wreckage.

"Main doors are open." Kelly informed me from her station, speaking before the ship had finished settling, "The Blades are moving to secure the area. The _North Cape_ is landing... Shepard is on the ground."

As if summoned by her words, Shepard's voice came clear and strong across the comms, " _Miranda, we're down. Kean and I are going to check the exists, can your AI locate the core and give us a route?"_

"Understood." I replied, trusting that EDI and EVA would already be on that without me having to explicitly order such. "Church, T'Donna, please establish defenses around the ship proper once the others have departed. I will join you as soon as we have more intelligence."

Jesse, standing opposite Kelly, gave me a quick nod and started forwards in her heavy armor. Those few people she'd been training in combat techniques followed, a half-squad's worth of soldiers clutching rifles as they made for the airlock. Arturo was the only truly competent one among them, and he gave me a steady nod as he moved past. I returned it solemnly, then flicked my eyes to the main display as it was updated to show the rough outline of the massive station. A secondary view opened almost as quickly, focused on the hangar around us, tiny icons showing the positions of everyone who had left the ships.

Vasir and her Asari were already up above us, checking the ruined walkways and airlocks, and probably disabling them. Kean's numerous teams were doing the same to the lower levels, a flick of my finger letting me listen as he ordered a minimal usage of demo charges and technical to booby trap them. While they were thusly occupied, Shepard had already found what appeared to be the main entrance and exit, a broad hatch likely used to facilitate moving large amounts of stasis pods from a docked cruiser into the station's interior.

It took EDI and EVA ten minutes to produce a general outline of the station, a time period in which our hosts began to make their presence known.

" _Another group is moving up, we're cutting them down fairly quickly."_ Kean reported, " _Drones, minimal armor... maybe some kind of worker. Still no Seekers."_

Shepard made a sound of agreement, " _Same, no sign of combat drones, or biotics. I don't think they expected a direct assault."_

Cieran snorted, and was typically blunt enough to state the obvious, " _Because they know it's suicide as much as we do."_

I fought the urge to grind my teeth at the abrupt and ill-timed reminder that the man could be god-awful at maintaining morale, "That lack of preparation will work to our advantage. We have a preliminary analysis prepared, if you both and Spectre Vasir could join me in the _Normandy_ 's hangar."

The two women agreed verbally, while the male merely clicked his mic once.

"Kelly," I glanced at the redhead as I descended from the command post, "You have the con."

She nodded, bit her lip, then nodded more firmly and moved to take my place as I headed for the elevator. My last sight before the doors closed was her pulling her own helmet on, and instructing the rest of the bridge crew to do the same in preparation for boarding. Accepting that as a valid option, I reached down to my belt where I had clasped my own headgear, detaching it before donning the additional armor.

I had just finished when I reached the bottom of the ship, metal sliding away to reveal the open cargo bay and the Collector hangar just beyond. My first impression was of a dimly lit cave more than that of an advanced star base, though from a distance and the amount of wreckage strewn about made it difficult to survey properly.

The small command display was already alight and prepared with the rough outline of the station, EDI and EVA's mechs both standing at attention nearby. Vasir appeared in the lowered ramp in a flash of blue light, her blue armor shifting in coloration as she entered the ship's proper illumination.

"We shouldn't be bothered from above." She reported as she approached, "But my girls are setting up motion traps just in case one of those biotics blows out a wall or something."

I nodded in approval, "Good thinking. Kean is doing the same, ideally we'll have few problems here."

"Doubt it." The Asari Spectre replied, but she was at least considerate enough to do so when not on a general line. "We might have to move these boats if the water gets hot. AI, you two have any possible areas?"

EVA nodded, lifting an arm to indicate an area of the station several levels below our current position, and on the opposite side. "This location appears to be a smaller hangar, positioned on a main run that leads to the core. Purpose and defenses currently unknown."

I glanced at it, "What do you have on the core?"

"Very little." She continued, "The station appears to have a very long, hollow region within its center. The power core runs vertically along the shaft, but from our limited scans nearly all of said power is remaining in this area."

A small section of the station began to flash blue as she spoke, highlighting an area not far from the secondary hangar. "Purpose?"

"Unknown." EDI spoke for them now, though her tones were only microscopically different from her twin's. "To reach said area we will need to follow the cargo route, it winds downwards around the shaft and intersects with the core here."

The blue ceased flashing, while a dull green flickered where we would come out. Before I could comment further, Cieran and Shepard both arrived, jogging quickly as they entered the ship. It didn't take long to fill them both in on what little we knew, and for Shepard to request the map be zoomed in to give us a better idea of the layout.

Unfortunately even our penetrative scans were proving to be of limited use, the advanced sensors having a difficult time getting through whatever materials the base was made out of. The cargo run was wide and broad enough to be easily examined, but most of the rest of the tunnels were little more than hazy estimates once you got a few hundred meters away form our location.

"Blast doors... quite a few of them. Here, here, here.. Christ, a couple more..." Shepard exhaled, the fingers of one hand drumming on the holographic display as her other pointed out the locations. "We'll need to bypass those if possible, or at least make sure we control them. This secondary run, here, what is it?"

EDI cocked her head slightly, as if in consideration. "It appears to be a maintenance run of some kind, with heating vents, power cabling, and other equipment."

Shepard nodded slightly, "Right. My team is going to go through that, between Tali and Mordin we should be able to hack our way through and get those doors opened. Kean, I want your people clearing the main run while we move, station one squad at each of the doors."

"Try and leave the controls intact." He replied, waving a hand at the image, "If the ship's move, or if we get cut off, we'll have to follow you deeper inside and shut them behind us."

"Agreed." Shepard replied, "Tela? I want you on point with him. Our three teams will try and link up here, at the secondary hangar. Disable any defenses, then we can hold it while everyone else rolls down to link up with us."

That drew a nod from Kean, "I can work with that. That hangar will be a good spot to hold onto defensively, once they realize we're consolidate there. I can leave half my people with Miranda to defend the ships, the other half can follow you for a while."

Shepard's fingers drummed once again, then she indicated another area. "Right here, the access area to the core. Hold that so we have a way out, Tela and I will go in and rig it to detonate. If we can't, we'll need runners ready to haul the nukes over."

I couldn't help but glance aside at where the innocuous looking devices were sitting; six moderately slender rods a few feet in length, the control panels and the Batarian rune for radioactivity the only clues as to what they actually were. "I thought we were going to attach them to the exterior if it came to that."

"Prepare four of them that way." Shepard, "If you can creep a shuttle around and attach them to go off sympathetically with the reactor, that would be great. But leave us at least two in case we need a bomb going off inside the core to start the fireworks."

I nodded slightly, "What about any civilians?"

Shepard went still, while Kean and Vasir seemed to exchange a hidden, and likely disparaging, glance behind their helmets.

"If we find children, get them out." Came the soft reply, "We pack them in like sardines if we have to. Any other questions?"

Kean shook his head before turning away, Vasir following. My HUD flickered to show that the two had joined a private channel as the walked, either discussing we bleeding hearts, or working out rough tactical plans for what was about to happen.

"Shepard-" I began, only for her to shake her head sharply.

"We don't have the time, Miranda." Her voice was soft but hard, her tones absolute. "Let's go."

I let out a breath through my lips, nodded in return, and got moving.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Dante's Inferno II**_

 _Yes, it was a bit short, trying to move away from my 5-6/10-12 page shackles. Some of these chapters might go long, some will probably go short. In either case we get the initial setup for the suicide mission and their newest rough plan._

 _There won't be the usual pre and post chapter sections in this operation, simply because it's all occurring over the course of a single day._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	47. Operation: Dante's Inferno II

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Dante's Inferno**

* * *

 **The Silver Blade**

 _Cieran Kean_

* * *

I had no idea if Shepard's route would involve someone having to run through heating ducts, but then again I didn't really care. Not because I wasn't mildly curious to see how closely the information in my head matched reality, but because far too busy trying to stay alive to worry about anything else.

The Collectors hadn't taken nearly as long to react to us as we'd hoped, but evidently they weren't exactly prepared for this kind of defense. It was entirely possible that the idea of being boarded had never actually occurred to whatever bug was running this. That or the fifty plus thousand years of cloning, indoctrination, and experimentation had left them unable to function without a Reaper's guiding intelligence.

"Focus fire on the vents!" I snapped, my heavy rifle thundering as it fired a fully charged round into a Collector that had been too slow to get behind a collection of captive pods, turning most of its head into a yellowish splatter. "Try and collapse them!"

There was a series of clicks across my comms as biotics, technical grenades, and what few heavy weapons we had shifted their fire upwards. I didn't have the chance to see their effect on the stone tunnels that the air-capable Collectors had been using to show up as several of the landed bugs took aim at me. My shields collapsed quickly, as fucking usual, under the golden darts, but my technical armor held up as I threw myself back down behind a pod.

Unfortunately doing so brought me back into view of the person inside, and the Asian woman began pounding on the glass again, screaming inaudibly in her small prison.

"Sorry," I muttered, "But you're the only bullet proof thing in here."

She couldn't hear me anymore than I could hear her, and went right on pounding and screaming. I, having no ability to help her, simply ignored her and got back into a low crouch as I waited for my systems to recharge.

Shepard would probably throw a conniption fit if she knew what we were using for cover, but as I'd noted... there wasn't any other options. We were fighting on what amounted to a wide, smooth, street with only occasional side tunnels offering any serious protection. Fortunately, in a grim way, our assault in the immediate wake of one of the Collector's own attacks meant that they'd had a massive number of the stasis-pods stretched out in the street.

They'd probably still been unloading from the cruiser when we'd attacked, and simply left them in place as they rushed to arm themselves.

"Sitrep!" I called out, hearing the gunfire slackening around me.

Chek's deep voice rumbled a reply, "They're pulling back again, planning on making a stand at the next blast door looks like."

"Agreed." Terro replied a heartbeat later, "We can see them dragging pods around to make a barricade. Door is still closed."

"Nothing behind us." Vasir reported drolly, evidently not enjoying her stint as rear-guard. She only had half her people with, the others having stayed back in the over-large hangar to give the crew plenty of biotics to hold of Seekers.

I grunted, "SL Horvak, status of Door One?"

" _ _Nothing since that group tried to rush us__ _."_ The Turian man responded. His Hunting Squad had won the lottery of volunteers, and he'd been a little too eager to impress. As a result, I'd left him to hold the first gate that we'd secured, trusting that Miranda and Illyan could keep an eye on his people.

We'd taken that first gate, about a hundred meters past the hangar, with minimal difficulty, but we'd lost time to a counter-attack that had come in just as we'd been about to move on. That had been bolstered by a flanking unit that had tried to come in, only to be cut down by Horvak with Miranda's support.

" _ _We blew the vent they came through but Spirits... there's a lot of those__ _."_ He continued, " _ _Not sure we'll be able to seal more than a third of them with what we've got with us__ _."_

"Confirmed." I hissed quietly in irritation. This was going to be a bitch of a fight, "Keep your eyes open in every direction. Aya, Helir. Your turn on point. Vasir, move up and join me, we'll hold back and then move up once the door is secure."

The various women clicked their mics, and our two junior teams moved past where Chek and Terro were providing light suppressing fire ahead. Meanwhile, my rear camera showed seven Asari moving from cover to cover in a quick, professional manner as they advanced to the area around me.

Flicking my left hand in a quick gesture, I changed to my personal channel, "Voya, Shyeel, be ready for any biotics that show up."

" _We'll be ready."_ Shyeel replied. My two companions hadn't been overly involved in the fighting so far, primarily because our experiences on Horizon had taught us that we needed an instant response if any Collector biotics showed up. The pair were using their tactical cloaks and flitting between the best firing positions they could find, impatiently waiting for their moment.

Or, at least, Voya was getting impatient. Shyeel was probably content as fuck to not really be involved yet.

"Good, stay sharp." I made another gesture right before my lover could start to bitch, linking myself to the command network. "Shepard, we're about to push on the door. How soon can you get it open?"

 _"Two minutes."_ Came the terse answer, half covered by the deafening sound of gunfire in an enclosed area.

I clicked my mic in reply, not about to distract her further, and besides, I had my own attack to help coordinate. Aya and Helir were both good, but neither of them had been involved in this level of combat before. Well, Aya had back in the war, but her _team_ as a whole hadn't, neither had Helir's. As a result both women had to give far more precise orders than I would have bothered with.

The orders weren't bad or invalid, they were just an addition that slowed down their progress.

Hefting my rifle up and onto the pod I was still behind, a glance confirming that the woman inside now had her face pressed against the glass and was sobbing, I joined the covering fire being provided by Herro and Chek's veteran teams. I focused mostly on the left side, since Chek's team remained down a member with Trena's absence.

She'd wanted to come with, only for Ayle, Ghai, and myself to all tell her no, though for differing reasons. Ayle had wanted to ensure that someone could take my place if I got killed, Ghai hadn't wanted to see her wife run off into a war zone again, and I had made her swear that she'd take care of Erana if anything happened to us.

The initial attack went like clockwork. Helir's all-Asari unit used their mobility to flash forwards, following that with biotic barriers and telekinesis that re-arranged the cargo pods into proper cover. From their new fire-base they laid down a torrent fire at the Collectors while Aya's team rolled up on the left in a steady advance. Collectors attempted to brave the incoming rounds to fire back, and were torn to shreds in short order. A few were smarter than the rest and lurked until the Lancers approached.

That didn't help them much, because Aya had learned paranoid ruthlessness well as the _Reliant's_ marine commander. All six of her people hurled grenades in, then blanketed the Collector's cover with technical mines, and only then did they actually rush in.

One bug was still upright to shoot at them. For a couple of seconds anyway.

"Neat, professional." Vasir spoke up from beside me, her tones containing a kind of approval. "Who trained them?"

"Voya and Illyan, for the most part." I replied, watching as Aya signalled for Helir to move up and help secure the area. "Couple of ancient SIU retirees we found on Omega helped. I handled bits and pieces, but not much more than that."

She made a musing sound, standing up to start rolling forwards. "Well, they did good-"

" _Kean, Vasir."_ Shepard's voice was fast and hard, " _Seekers and combat drones incomming!"_

I hissed between my teeth, relaying the message, "Brace for counter-attack! Seekers!"

Everyone paused for a half-second, remembering our too-brief training on the matter, than consolidated around our biotics. Shyeel and Voya abruptly became visible, vaulting down from a tall collection of pods to join Chek's team as Mirala threw up a curtain barrier around them. Two of Helir's people did the same for her and Aya's team, while one of Vasir's did the same for us. That just left Terro, the only Lancer team without a biotic, who turned around and sprinted back in my direction.

Two Quarians, two Batarians, a Krogan, and a Turian reached the protection of the curtain barrier just as the black-gold blurs of Seekers exploded from vents near the ceiling.

I couldn't help but flinch slightly as the almost solid mass of insects struck the shimmering wall of blue energy, bouncing off of it in tiny flashes of white light. "Nikros!"

The Krogan woman let out a deep rumble and stepped up beside me, unlimbering a weapon from her back. After taking a second to fiddle with the controls, she grunted, "Fuck off insects."

Fire roared out from the weapon as she pulled the trigger, to which I added a pair of incinerates while Vasir threw a hand out, a singularity screaming into existence to drag the Seekers into an even more condensed area. The little shits died by the hundreds as the other teams likewise enacted similar procedures, but even in death the things did their job. By simply showing up they forced _us_ to huddle into smaller areas as well, crippling our mobility by chaining us to our biotics.

Collectors, actual combat drones, came flitting out of the same holes that the swarm had used, and were firing even as they descended to the ground.

The Asari holding up our barrier let out a yowl as several of the golden darts struck her, one going right through her upraised arm. The protection flickered, then restored itself as one of the others threw her own power into the air from behind a cargo pod, while yet another tackled the wounded woman down to check her injuries.

At the same time, Ganar Nikros let out several snarls of pain as she flung herself a bit to the right, behind a trio of upright pods capable of hiding her, nearly crushing Vasir in her haste. She wasn't quite quick enough, the Collector weaponry easily shattering her shields as it tended to fucking do. Her armor and technical barriers held out better, but she was a _big_ target and a few spurts of orange blood told me she hadn't quite escaped.

"Sitrep!" I shouted, my thumb flicking my rifle to rapid fire before I returned the compliments being paid to us. "Nikros?"

"Arm and gut." She replied, a furious growl lacing her words, "Not deep."

Terro slid in beside me, his carbine barking as he joined me. "I count eight focused on us, less on Chek, even more on the ladies up front."

I thought furiously. Chek had been the closest to the wall, and they'd probably overlooked his team entirely on seeing the rest of us. "Chek, move your fat ass to the door and help secure it!"

"On it!" He shouted back, though I didn't have time to see them move because a Collector got a bead on me. Terro and I both ducked down as rounds hammered at our chests and heads, our shields dropping precipitously.

"Kean," Vasir called from Nirkos' other side, "I'm taking half my girls and moving up high to try and close those vents!"

Good idea. "Go!"

I heard her call out two names, then the characteristic thunder-claps of biotic charges as they departed. Knowing I needed to orient myself, I took a few precious seconds to take a stock of the area around. We were more or less pinned up against one of the cavern's walls, with plenty of pods ahead and behind, but few in any real position to use as cover.

Nikros had swapped her flamethrower out for a sniper rifle, a Kishok modified to fit her massive frame, and she returned fire with a fully charged bolt even as I watched. Just beyond her I could see Kin and Jin keeping up an alternating pattern with their carbines, the twins working in sync as always. Herra and Deshi were further back, near the edge of the barrier, helping to move the wounded Asari commando, the Turian trying to bandage her even as they did.

That just left the other two members of Vasir's team, one of whom was keeping our protection upright, and the other who flicked a hand out, biotic power flitting over my head to impact something. From the way Nikros' gun boomed again, she'd probably just pulled someone out of cover.

Reasonably good defensive position, but little ability to move... dammit. If Terro's count was right, the Collectors knew it and were trying to pin us down just as we were trying to keep them occupied.

"Shift fire." I growled, "Hit anyone you can see that's going for the door. Draw their attention back to us!"

A chorus of clicks came as the others acknowledged the order, and I heaved my rifle back up. Once again reverting to slower, more powerful shots, I let the rifle build up a charge as I tracked a Collector heading for the gate. My round hit it a bit off-center, but it struck just as its wings stopped buzzing as it dropped for the floor. The impact shattered its barriers, spun it around like a wild top, and someone else blew its head off before it could recover.

Our fusilade only partially distracted them, drawing perhaps a half-dozen to keep us back. Their accuracy remained irritatingly good, but even here, in their base, they had little sense of self-preservation. They lingered far too long in the open or advanced recklessly, and only a very small subset seemed to actual use cover as we did.

They were, naturally, the more dangerous ones, and I was abruptly struck with a sense of _deja vu._ It was like fighting the True Sons all those years ago... a hardcore elite who ruthlessly expended minions and subordinates to distract, obfuscate, and provide cover for their own lethal strikes. Even as I watched two of them, easily identifiable as being bigger and darker colored than the others, lifted off, flitting out of an unsealed vent.

Retreating as they realized they wouldn't stop us here.

Shit. I fucking hated intelligent enemies.

" _Firewall left_!" Aya snarled across the main channel, evidently breaking protocol to get command of both squads. " _Now!"_

Napalm blazed as Batarian model incendaries exploded, covering several bugs in flaming jelly that roasted them inside their own armor. More importantly it drove five of them out of cover, forcing them to take to the air once more, or seek other protection. They were met from two sides as they did, with similarly brutal results.

Jacqueline let out a furious bellow as a wave of biotic power surged upwards and them came down like a crashing wave, sending the four flying creatures to slam into the ground within the shimmering blue dome of protection. Aya ul Vessan hit them next, the Batarian woman vaulting a pod, her short-barreled shotgun tearing open the chest of the only one still standing. She executed three more before the could rise, leaving only one able to get to its feet.

Her free hand blazed as she activated her war gauntlet, the flared technical panels over her forearm absorbing the panic-fire from the creature before her fist hit its skull and ended it.

Seekers continued to buzz around randomly, far fewer in number now, but still very present. We wouldn't be able to operate without biotic protection from here on out, which was going to slow us down massively. Which was, of course, the point.

"Vasir." I called as I cautiously rose, "Situation up there?"

" _We sealed up four vents."_ She replied, emerging from a fifth farther down, " _Helped Shepard, she had a biotic to play with."_

"Athame's azure," I swore, "Casualties?"

There was a flash of blue, then the Spectre appeared a few meters away, courteously avoiding hitting me with the bow-shock of her arrival. "That baby Krogan got roughed up, but nothing major, they pinned it down pretty quick."

I grunted, "Aya, Chek, Helir, sitrep and casualties."

Chek heaved himself out from behind a tumbled collection of pods ahead, his strong voice calling, "Washana got a flash burn on her leg, but she's ambulatory."

" _Helir is dead."_ Aya spoke before I could reply, " _Jurgen and Ceshun are both hurt but alive. They're not in shape to keep fighting sir."_

I exhaled slowly. I hadn't known Helir T'Mari well, but Nynsi had vouched for her and she'd seemed quite competent. Losing their leader would affect the rest of her team badly, especially this early into the fighting. Consulting my greybox, I found the name of the next most experienced Asari in that squad, "Noru, everyone else upright?"

" _Yes sir."_ Came the prompt reply.

"Right. Your team is to get the wounded, and the dead, back to the ship, then return to this gate and hold it. You're in command." I glanced at Vasir, "Vasir, you're the only ones fast enough to hold this then catch up."

Even with the armor I could see the grimace in her posture, but she nodded. "Healia, you'll take command of the squad and do so. I'm going ahead with the Blades. They'll need an extra biotic."

Right, I'd already forgotten just a couple of seconds after I'd realized it. Fuck this was going to be a pain in the ass. "Thanks."

I turned, ready to snap out orders to resume our slog, than blinked and frowned at the wall of steel ahead of us. "Shit... Shepard, why the fuck is that door still closed?"

* * *

 _ **Next up is** ** **Operation: Dante's Inferno III****_

 _And the fight to secure bulkhead two of five kicks off the actual attack. Two fifths of the way there, combat losses are one squad leader and three others unable to continue fighting. Oh, and the ticking timer on biotic exhaustion for pretty much everyone with the power has now been started._

 _The next chapter will be from Shepard's point of view, as I'm sure most of you could have guessed. Right now the tentative follow-up order is: 4; Miranda, 5; Shepard, 6; Cieran, then the last chapter will be from someone else's pov. I'm hoping to get one to two more chapters done before my vacation next week, but either way this story should be wrapped up by early April at the very worst._

 _This chapter was actually supposed to be done on Monday but... I got a bit ahead of myself and wrote a chapter for Twilight instead. The next two stories have undergone a massive revision of their outlines after talking with The Blocked Writer, and we're both much happier with the new versions. More on that will be revealed in author's notes at the end of this story._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 _ _ **Review Responses:**__

 _ **griezz;**_ _Shepard knows, she was given a heavily modified version of Cieran's will by Liara, who got it from Aethyta. The old fish cut out most of the extraneous information and the things she knew would set off Shep/Liara (Cie knowing that Shep would be targeted for death for example). She didn't do it out of a sense of altruism so much as an acknowledgement that they just don't have the time for the infighting that some of the info would cause. Miranda_ _ _suspects__ _that Shepard knows more than she's letting on, and she knows that Cieran has info she'd really rather him not, but she doesn't know the full depth of it._

 _ **Seabo76;**_ _Not insanely high yet, but it's starting._

 _ **AngelForm;**_ _Because they've already lost two ships, and the two remaining are pretty battered. The_ _ _Normandy__ _and the_ _ _North Cape__ _are also the_ _ _only__ _way they have to get out of there when the time comes._


	48. Operation: Dante's Inferno III

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Dante's Inferno**

* * *

 **The Shepard**

 _Kaya Shepard_

* * *

A Collector let out a tea-kettle whistle of agony as a spear of warpfire rammed into its chest, the blue-white shaft of power burning through armor and flesh alike. I didn't waste any time watching it die, instead bounding forwards, kicking off the wall beside me, and using the momentum to enhance the blow I delivered with the butt of my rifle to a husk trying to choke the life out of James.

The dried up zombie's skull cracked open, its neck snapping, and the burly marine hurled the corpse off of him as I covered him, my rifle letting out sharp bursts as I put down five more of the taken Humans as they sprinted down the narrow passageway. Then, as my rifle vented heat, I again brought up my right hand, focusing on a Collector. One of the bigger ones had been supervising this little skirmish from on high, and it was already moving to withdraw.

Power thrummed from the back of my neck, down my spine, spreading through my body as a six foot lance of dark energy screamed to life in my grip like an over-sized javelin. Checking my aim for a millisecond, I snarled and hurled my arm forwards. The shaft flitted through the air as a blur of motion, and took the leader in the back. Its barriers only partially held off the power, its wings burning and armor cracking as it stumbled, suddenly unbalanced.

Ash stepped up on my right, her rifle roaring as she put a long burst into the creature, putting it down and ending the latest minor skirmish.

"Sitrep." I demanded, my breathing as relentlessly calm as it had been since I'd woken up as a cybernetic super zombie. "James, you all right?"

The big marine let out a cough as he heaved his armored bulk upright, "I'm good _lola,_ sorry, should have gotten that one."

I let out a masculine sounding grunt, telling him to drop it and focus. "Tali, the charges?"

"Set." Tali replied from her place behind us, where she'd been placing a few of our limited demolition packs to close off this secondary tunnel, "And ready."

"Let's get out of here." Ash was already backing up, "Before more of them show up."

I nodded in agreement, taking a longer look at her as I did. She'd lost two of the fingers on her left hand at the fight for gate four, and most of the left side of her breastplate was covered in omni-gel patches. Mordin had given her plenty of painkillers, but her accuracy was starting to suffer, and I didn't know how much longer she'd be able to keep going.

Of course, looking away from her let me see where Kara was settled beside Tali. One of her hands was held out, palm up, blue power thrumming as she maintained the barrier protecting us from the Seekers occasionally bouncing off of the blue curtain. Her head was already hanging slightly, and I fought the urge to grimace. We were approaching the secondary hangar, but the effort of making it even this far was becoming increasingly taxing for everyone involved.

Tali had to help her up as we got moving, heading back into the main service shaft. It wasn't a long walk to where Liara was sitting, her legs crossed before her with hands resting on her knees, her own power flickering as she maintained the protection around everyone else. Garrus stood protectively over my wife, his upper right arm showing a patch over his armor, a similar marker on his left shin, but he was still upright and alert, his massive rifle held in steady hands.

Mordin was kneeling beside them, carefully helping Liara eat an energy bar, striving to get more calories into her. The Doctor's helmet sat beside him, the visor horribly cracked, and his right eye was entirely covered by a medigel patch. Despite the horrible wound he remained in almost creepily good cheer, keeping morale up in his own very odd way.

The same couldn't be said for Grunt, looming up nearer to the corner that would lead us to the final gate and the secondary hangar. Despite his speed and skills, he was simply too large to easily find cover, and his armor was horribly battered and shot up. His own blood stained the normally silver plates, the injuries leaving him angry, edgy, and increasingly on edge. He hadn't yet succumbed to the blood rage, but Kara and I had both had to stop him from rushing out in the last fight.

"We taking a break skipper?" Ash asked, nodding towards where her people were on rear guard detail.

Two of her N6's had died already, Carla and Gunter, but Dhian and the other four were still upright and mostly intact. They were also taking the chance to eat, especially Dhian, who was the group's only biotic. He had the least raw reserves, and hadn't taken more than a few minutes on barrier detail, but even so we didn't really have the luxury of sparing him the duty.

"A few minutes." I replied with a nod, bringing my omni-tool up and stepping out of the others' way, letting them find spots to rest. "Kean, Shepard. We've sealed the secondary access."

" _Confirmed."_ The mercenary replied, his normally crisp tones slightly weakened. He and his were getting tired as well. His job had been getting progressively more difficult as we moved, as he'd been forced to leave teams behind to hold the gates... and to start checking the pods for children.

The Blades were losing members slowly, taking more wounds than deaths, but they'd lost two squad leaders already; the Asari from the Hegemony, and the Quarian who'd lead their second team. So far the remainder were holding on, but what little snippets I'd gleaned from the radio indicated a rising impatience to move faster, to get this over and done with. That they'd had to leave people at each of the bulkheads hadn't helped, making it progressively more difficult for the remainder to advance.

"I want to take three minutes to recover," I continued, "We'll move on the target immediately after."

Kean hummed, " _We'll take one minute, then get moving. See if we can't draw their attention towards the main door and let you flank them."_

That made me frown slightly, "Will you be able to hold them without the other teams? You and Vasir only have six people mobile, correct?"

" _Correct._ " He replied, a shrug audible in his voice, " _But once we confirm that the hangar is usable I can start recalling the other teams from the gates."_

Meaning we would hit the Collectors with both a flank attack from my team, as well as repeated wave attacks from his end. Of course, if the hangar wasn't usable, it left him and Vasir stuck as bait in the hopes that we would be able to ride in and rescue them.

"We'll do it." I exhaled finally, "Have four of your teams ready to roll down the hall, the other two can double back to the ships. Three minute timer starting now."

He clicked his mic in reply, then cut the line without saying anything further. Flicking I fingers, I changed the channel to the more critical partner of this mission, since if she failed none of us would be leaving to try again later. "Miranda, how are the ships?"

" _Intact._ " The woman replied at once, her voice in noticeably in better health than Kean. " _There have only been probing attacks so far, nothing major. The wounded remain alive and are comfortable."_

"Good." I exhaled, watching as Tali sat down beside Liara while Ash and James moved to join the rest of their people. "Any rescued civilians?"

Her voice softened, " _Seventeen... they aren't in good shape, but we have them aboard._ "

A slow exhalation escaped me as I closed my eyes, "Just seventeen?"

" _The Blades have been far harder pressed by flanking groups."_ Miranda replied, " _They haven't exactly had time to search the pods, free them, and then risk their biotics to send them back."_

I grimaced, reading between the lines and realizing that she had harped on the mercenaries for how few they'd found as well, then gotten snarled at for her efforts. "Understood. We're about to hit the secondary hangar, be prepared to relocate the ships and all teams."

 _"Understood."_ She acknowledged. " _We will be prepared."_

Clicking my mic in reply, I cut the line and pushed away from the wall behind me. Liara glanced up as I approached, giving me a tired smile as Mordin popped the last bit of an energy bar into her mouth. The doctor noticed me, bobbed his head once, then rose and moved over to check on Grunt and Kara, leaving me in some modicum of privacy with my closest friends.

"Two more sprints." Garrus hummed as I settled down on a knee, "The hangar, the core, and then we can get out of here."

I nodded, "Yeah... just two more. We're close. Just a little bit longer."

Liara groaned, shifting as much as she could to lean against me, "It can't come soon enough. I don't think I've ever been this tired."

I winced, "You'll be able to drop it once we're in the hangar, it should be open enough to let the countermeasures work."

"I know." The words came with a reassuring though tired pulse of emotion through our bond, my wife simply enjoying my presence. On her other side, Tali shuffled over without really getting up, and all but slumped over Liara's side, resting her helmet on my wife's shoulder. Garrus simply stayed upright, but he took a small step closer, an armored hand falling to rest on me.

Our very brief period of rest passed all too quickly, and soon enough it was time for everyone to get up ad ready for the next fight.

We quickly formed up in our primary formation, with Grunt, Kara, and myself out in front, with Tali and Garrus acting as Liara's escort as she maintained the bubble around us. Mordin was among Ash's crew near the rear, acting as the rear guard and checking over their wounds and making sure their armor was sealed up in advance of the upcoming fight. The sounds of said battle began to reach us fairly quickly as our party moved down the narrow service tunnel, the high pitched cracks of mass-effect gunfire and the lower tones of Asari weapons echoing in rhythm.

" _We've engaged in the hangar."_ Kean's voice came in less than a minute later, " _Maybe a dozen of the big combat drones, the hangar itself appears to be intact for now."_

I frowned as we moved, Grunt and Garrus having to duck as we moved into a lower section, "Only a dozen?"

" _So far, still, if you could... the fuck-"_ His voice cut off as a muted explosion was followed by a snarl of pain, " _Athame's fucking azure! Another four just showed up with some kind of grenade launchers."_

"We're on the way." Kicking off with my back foot, I accelerated as he cut the line, "Kara, with me! Everyone else stick with Liara!"

Plunging through the curtain barrier, something that felt like rushing through a gentle waterfall, I flared my own barriers as I accelerated to full speed. Kara was hot on my heels, her own protection flickering as Seekers struck us and rebounded. It was a pain in the ass to maintain the shields even as we sprinted, not helped by the cramped and awkward proportions of the tunnel around us.

We reached the entrance to the hangar at the same time as another pair of Collectors did, our tunnel meeting another just as both exited into the main room. Both were the tall, bulky combat types rather than the more slender worker drones that had dominated the defenders up until this point. Not that it helped them much, as both were facing the exit as we approached at speed from their flank, and they barely had time to turn before we hit them.

Lowering my shoulder, I slammed into the front of the pair at an oblique angle, sending it into a spin behind me, leaving it for Kara to deal with. The second I took head on, firing a heavy burst from my rifle in the seconds before my body impacted it head on.

The creature let out a buzzing snarl as we used our rifles as clubs and levers, trying to bat and push the others weapon aside to fire at point blank range. Unfortunately for the husked being, I was far stronger and quicker, shoving its rifle down in a quick motion before kicking it out of its fingers, then putting a three round burst into its skull from point-blank range.

From behind me, there was a roar of Kara's shotgun, and then my copy was moving past me, taking point as the pair of moved into the hangar proper.

It was far smaller than the hangar we had landed in several levels above, and definitely wouldn't fit both of our ships, but it was at least empty and as Kean had said, was entirely intact. An instant's glance revealed Kean and his two companions hunkered down behind some kind of debris near a door off to our right, with Vasir and two of her commandos a few meters away, all six exchanging fire with a rough dozen Collectors scattered through the room. Two in particular seemed to be armed with three meter long tubular weapons, each of which vomited out a golden disc even as we arrived.

Vasir's entire team vanished in blurs of flash-steps as the grenades arrived, the two explosives detonated in precise balls of blazing light that... more or less vaporized the cover they'd been hiding behind.

The advantage of working with someone whose brain had been reconfigured to be a copy of your own was that it made coordination in battle extremely easy. We both recognized the threat the last two Collectors posed, checked our left flank and found it clear, then leaped down from the service tunnel and broke into a curved sprint that could carry us to the left, behind them.

Neither insect noticed us initially, letting us clear the open area near to the tunnel, and it was only when we opened fire that any of them reacted to our presence. We concentrated our attentions on the nearer of the two, my rifle and her shotgun hammering into its barriers. It reeled under the impacts, then collapsed when Kara's third shot blew a neat section of its chest away.

The other whipped itself around, snap-firing a grenade. Growling, I reached out with my biotics to bat it towards two of the other Collectors still focusing on the others. One noticed and dove aside, the other... more or less melted in a flash of golden light. Before the Collector could fire again, T'Voth's Kishok roared, most of its head becoming ichor and scattered remains as a result.

"Focus right!" Vasir shouted as her team got into motion as well, moving to retake better positions. "We'll handle the left!"

Clicking my mic in reply, I kept up the speed, reaching the base of some kind of crane a half-step ahead of Kara, both of us finally being peppered by golden darts as the Collectors reacted to our rush. But even their extreme accuracy suffered thanks to our nearly synthetic levels of speed, our barriers only breaking as we reached cover.

Garrus, Liara, and the others arrived roughly at the same time period, the latter finally able to drop the curtain barrier as we entered the open space, everyone moving quickly out of the tunnel to find cover. That left us a nearly ideal position, with three distinct bases of fire flooding the hangar, catching down several Collectors as they fell back to less exposed positions.

Unfortunately our advantageous situation did not last more than a couple of minutes as the Collectors were entirely aware of how important this hangar was.

"Usual." Kara reported as she took her turn firing while my barriers recovered, "The big ones pulled back, they're sending in the worker drones and husks... not very seriously either."

"Buying time for a rush." I narrowed my eyes before glancing around. There wasn't all that much cover compared to the other hangar, primarily because this one was still intact. We had the materials and equipment we were currently using, the Collector's similar collection on the other side, and then a broad depression, likely where the belly of one their odd corvettes would have rested.

"Dammit." I hissed, flicking my omni-tool to life, "Kean, Vasir, we're going to have to advance soon or they're just going to keep us pinned on this side."

Vasir hummed in time with her rifle, " _Maybe... Lawson, how fast can you get your ship here to strafe these bastards for us?"_

We all waited for several seconds, my heartrate rising as the Cerberus leader did not reply. "Miranda? Respond."

There was a crack of noise, the characteristic thunder of Harrier rifles being utilized at full automatic nearly drowning out her words, " _Occupied!"_

The line cut out at that, leaving Kean to drawl, " _Well... shit."_

I grimaced, "Shut it. Right, Ash, use what cover there is on the left side near the back wall and start advancing. Vasir, Grunt, go with her. Kean, I want your snipers to set up as a firebase out on the right. How many smoke grenades you have left?"

" _Two."_

"Prime them both and get over here, you're coming with us. We'll establish a bridgehead on that side and cover the others as they move up." I exhaled, "Everyone else, with me. Confirm?"

Everyone clicked their mics and got moving, all of them save for Grunt darting from cover to cover as they made their way towards where we were holed up. For his part, the young Krogan lumbered along behind Ash, covering her shift towards the back of the room, his shotgun booming out solid slugs that tore Husks apart with little to no issues.

For their part, Garrus and Tali reached us fairly quickly, with Liara, Mordin, and Kean arriving shortly thereafter. The mercenary's armor was badly scorched, the navy and silver now a uniform shade of black, though he seemed to have avoided any injuries thus far.

"Kean, I want both grenades out quickly." I told him the moment he arrived, "Kara, Liara, we're in front. Tali, Kean, stay left and focus on supporting Ash's push. Mordin, Garrus, move out to the right once we get across and watch for any extra tunnels on that side."

Heads bobbed and mics clicked as everyone acknowledged the rough plan, Kean holstering his pistol in favor of his oversized rifle. A few deft motions later, and after a nod from me, he leaned out into the open and triggered the grenade launcher under-slung to the main barrel. He reloaded with impressive speed, firing the second not long after, smoke and sparks exploding in the open space.

I was rushing out even as the first grenade detonated, spewing smoke and tiny jamming devices; two long steps taking me to the start of the depression. Six more steps got me down the incline, my HUD flickering wildly as my armor tried and failed to deal with the input, the gunfire around me at first imprecise, and then non-existent as the Collectors realized the futility of it and ceased firing.

Gritting my teeth, I accelerated further, rushing through a narrow gap of clear air between the two grenades, plunged into the second cloud, reached the opposite incline, and began to pound my way up it. As I did, I swiped a grenade from my belt, priming it as I prepared for what was coming.

Kean's aim had been reasonable, there being only a meter or so from the end of the second smoke screen and the first pieces of equipment on the far side of the hangar. I didn't slow down, instead throwing myself into a forward roll the moment the smoke began to thin, avoiding a torrent of gunfire that flew over me as the Collectors reacted to my sudden appearance. Just behind me, Kara elected for a ball player's slide, but the end result was the same; we both reached some kind of docking mechanism that seemed reasonably bullet-proof alive.

Knowing that to wait would be to leave the, far slower, people behind to face the same storm of bullets, I whipped my grenade up and over. The moment it detonated, I bounced up, my rifle ready to put down the two of the reeling Collectors just on the other side of the equipment we were using as cover. Kara, for her part, immediately followed my example; her shotgun hammering down a third target before whipping a grenade of her own towards another trio who had begun to move in our direction.

That gave the others more than enough of an opening to arrive. Kean and Tali, typically, came in throwing grenades and technical mines even as they moved, explosions, napalm, and electrical arcs tearing apart four enemies before the pair found their own bit of cover. Liara and Garrus were far less noisy if no less effective, my wife using a singularity and a pair of deft throws to expose three Collectors to our companions' sniper rifle.

Ten collectors dead in as many seconds still left far too many Collectors remaining.

At least two with particle lances were evidently exchanging extreme long range fire with T'Voth and Chi, and at least a dozen more quickly shifted to keep our central unit penned in as Husks began to howl somewhere nearby. Still, that left only a similar number to try and hold Ash and Vasir off, and their teams promptly began to make progress; advancing into better firing positions that let them flank the same creatures that had moved to deal with my rush.

"Keep their attention!" I shouted, ducking as my barriers shattered under a precise barrage, "Let the left team do the heavy lifting!"

"No shit." Kean shot back as he also dropped to a knee, dropping his evidently ruined rifle and drawing his pistol. "Lawson! Is the ship ready to-"

"Husks!" Garrus cut him off, "Coming right in numbers!"

I snapped my head around to see a broad wave of blue figures scrambling over one another as they stampeded around a crane, some tripping over their fellows, but far too many heading right for us. "Kara, go help them! Chi, need fire support!"

There was a mewling snarl from the Quarian in question, but Husks began to drop as her quick-firing Viper began to bark from the other side of the hangar. Beside me, Kara blurred into motion, rushing to where Liara and Garrus had already shifted to open fire on the horde. Being far more comfortable with her biotics than I ever would be, she promptly began tossing out spears of warpfire to detonate Liara's singularities, the pair corralling the creatures into narrow lanes more easily shot down.

The sight of the obviously failing flank attack made me narrow my eyes and then curse. It was too easy, far too easy... which meant it was a distraction.

I had just gotten my vision centralized again when the piece of equipment that Tali and Kean were hiding behind vanished in a golden burst of light. Both of them flung themselves back on nothing more than panicked reflex, both cursing fluently in Khellish at the suddenness of the attack. The Collector responsible, with another of those bizarre grenade launchers, calmly strolled forwards as it reloaded... but it was merely a minor threat compared to the two robed creatures walking just before it.

One of them let out a buzzing, screeching warcry and vanished in a green burst of light, reappearing before my two prone allies and thrusting a hand at them. Emerald warpfire promptly exploded in a gout of flame, washing over Tali for the second it took Kean to re-orient himself and trigger his submission net. The blazing orange fibers snapped around the enemy biotic, actually knocking it from its feet, and its exultant warcry became a tea-kettle shriek of agony.

The sound was matched by Tali's howl of pain, my friend writhing on the ground, frantically ripping away her own gear to get the still burning bits of dark energy away.

"Execute it!" The snarl came out as I vaulted my way out of cover, accelerating to full speed towards the second creature. I was only peripherally aware of Kean finishing the downed creature, then grabbing Tali and hauling her somewhere, the remainder of my attention entirely on my enemies.

The grenadier snap-fired a golden disc in my direction, but my pace had taken it off guard, it missed wide, the projectile detonating harmlessly in the depression far behind. My anger made the rush of dark energy almost orgasmic as I called upon it, forming another lance in my left hand before hurling it at him in reply. It took him in the left shoulder, shattering his shields and scorching its strange flesh, though it failed to drop him entirely.

Another warcry came from the more dangerous of the pair before I could finish it, the biotic blurring into a biotic charge. Guessing its intent, I checked my rush and threw myself to the right, neatly avoiding a blazing stream of fire as the creature re-appeared behind where I had just been. My gun thundered out my reply as I went to full auto, my legs kicking me back into motion, knowing that to stay still or to be slow was to die to the fire now flying in every direction.

The biotic seemed to snarl, vanished once again, but this time returned to existence just behind the grenadier. Seizing its fellow in a clawed hand, it actually used the thing as a human shield to absorb my bullets as my weapon quickly overheated... then with a flash of green light, it hurled the corpse at something approaching two hundred kilometers an hour in my direction.

Even my speed and reaction time had limits, and though I mostly got out of the way, one of the flailing legs caught me across the head and sent my crashing into something else as the station began to spin wildly around me. It began to thrash and beat at me at once, knocking my rifle out of my hands before shoving me aside. The Collector drone began to aim its rifle at my recovering skull only to lose its own as Garrus shifted back to help.

For its part, the biotic had evidently used the time to pick up the grenadier's fallen weapon because when I glanced in its direction all I could see was a blazing golden disc headed right for me.

It became Kara's turn to save my life, my copy's biotics diverting the grenades path as she bounded over me, rushing to close combat range. Her shotgun boomed out rounds as quickly as she could fire it, the robed Collector reeling under the surprise assault before vanishing into yet another charge.

I scrambled back to my feet, knowing what was coming, and focused my own power once more. The blazing spear of dark energy formed as the biotic re-appeared behind Kara and to her right, the bow-shock of its arrival sending her stumbling as it lifted a hand, clearly ready to immolate her.

My javelin took it in the back before it could, my own fire burning into its chest to end its life.

"Thanks Kaya!" Kara called as she recovered, her own legs starting to churn once more as she headed back towards me and cover.

"No problem." I replied, already working on getting my own body back into shelter as I tried to make sense of the now entirely-chaotic situation. "Head left to where Kean is covering Tali, see what you can do for her!"

"Confir-" She didn't get to finish the word, a golden yellow line of energy drilled its way through the left side of her chest and out the right before she could.

Grunt howled in abject fury as her body hit the ground, and any chance of coordinating the battle went out the window he succumbed to the blood rage, charging the enemy with no regard for Ash's, Vasir's, or my orders to stop.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Dante's Inferno: IV**_

 _Yeah, so it's been a while... I think I really needed a longer break than I had originally planned. It's taken seven stories but I think I'm finally tired of writing combat, and it took me a while to get u the motivation to write this. Shepard combat is especially difficult, given her vastly different abilities, outlook, and tactics compared to Cieran._

 _Next chapter will be from Miranda's point of view, rewinding time very slightly to cover just what is going on at the other hangar at roughly the same time as this chapter is occurring. The original plan was for another Shepard, then a Cieran after that, but I may be cutting the Shepard chapter as I turned the hallway fights into one chapter instead of two (this chapter was supposed to be Shepard moving down the tunnels and halls, but it seemed too repetitive from what Cie was doing and didn't add much, so I moved right on to the second hangar fight)._

 _So, as currently planned, just three more chapters in the Collector base, then two to three epilogue chapters, and we'll be done with this story._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 _ _ **Review Responses:**__

 _Kivdon - Cieran is pronounced as 'Siren', with 'Cie' as 'Sigh'. Took me a while to settle on that, it flopped back and forth for a while in my head before stabilizing._


	49. Operation: Dante's Inferno IV

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Dante's Inferno**

* * *

 **Imperfect Glass**

 _Miranda Lawson_

* * *

" _Miranda, how are the ships?_ "

"Intact." I replied as Shepard cut in on the command override, my eyes remaining fixed on the closed tunnels ahead. We'd utilized demolition charges to shut them, but EVA had reported motion behind five. It wouldn't be long before they used their own devices or biotics to blast them back open. "There have only been probing attacks so far, nothing major. The wounded remain alive and are comfortable _."_

" _Good_." She exhaled, revealing some of her own exhaustion as she spoke. " _Any rescued civilians_?"

I licked my lips, glancing back at the ship behind us. "Seventeen... they aren't in good shape, but we have them aboard _._ "

Which was an understatement, but the truth would only upset her further. The children had been understandably traumatized, and the Blades and Vasir's people had not been in any mood to be gentle when they hauled them to safety. That they'd needed biotics to safely corral them had not helped either. Several of the children had been sedated before they'd even arrived, while the others had been nearly catatonic in fear.

There was a long pause before Shepard replied, " _Just seventeen_?"

"The Blades have been far harder pressed by flanking groups." I shook my head, though she couldn't see it. "They haven't exactly had time to search the pods, free them, and then risk their biotics to send them back."

" _Understood. We're about to hit the secondary hangar, be prepared to relocate the ships and all teams._ "

"Understood." I acknowledged. "We will be prepared."

The line had hardly clicked off before Arturo's helmet shifted in my direction, his voice dry, "We'll have to be quick about that. What's the plan?"

"Exactly what we thought it would be." I replied, already shifting to the main channel. "The advance teams are moving on the next hangar. All teams to execute stage one."

A chorus of microphone clicks came from the various mercenary squads holding the gates in the main tunnel, while the Alliance crew defending their own ship acknowledged the order verbally and began to rush to get back inside the _North Cape._ They would be departing first, making a recon run of the shipyards to ensure no Collector vessels were mobile, then returning to pick up the shuttles even now attaching nuclear bombs to a few select areas of the station's exterior.

The _Normandy_ would remain in place until Shepard gave the go ahead, upon which I would order stage two. Those three Blades squads closer to the new hangar would advance downwards to reinforce them, while those closer to us would fall back and board the ship. Once everyone was present, we would make the very short journey to our next defensive position.

"T'Donna," I continued, "Any signs of movement in the lower section?"

" _Yeah."_ The giant Asari replied, " _EDI is reporting the same crap down here. Motion, energy signatures, but they haven't blown anything out yet. Fuckers are probably getting set up to come at all us at once."_

I grimaced, entirely agreeing with that assessment. "Your recommendation?"

She was silent for a few long seconds, then exhaled, " _I think we need to call the gate teams back. If they get hit at the same time we do we might lose all of them."_

My finger tapped on my rifle in a repeating rhythm as I considered that, "If they bring in something that can disable the _Normandy_ , that leaves us with no avenue to reach the next hangar."

 _"We lose this ship and I don't like our odds even if they hold the gates."_ T'Donna stated bluntly, but there was an undercurrent of emotion to it. She, unlike so many of the other Blades, still seemed to have something resembling a normal sense of morality. " _Getting the crew down would be a pain in the fucking ass if we're under fire, even before you account for those kids you had us pick up. We'd have to leave them behind to have any real chance... and I like that idea about as much as you do."_

The notion made me flinch on reflex, a tight breath forcing itself out of my lungs, "... very well. Send the signal to your people; gates one through three are to progressively retreat back to this position. Gates four and five are to advance in the same fashion."

Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth, then she exited the channel to give said orders.

I contemplated our deployment as she did so, noting the gaps appearing as the marines and crew of the _North Cape_ continued to retreat within their ship. My team was now the only group on the second level of walkways overlooking the main hangar, with myself, EVA, and three of T'Laria's Nightblades holding the area nearest to the ship's upper airlock. Arturo and Church each lead four more of my people, constituting the bulk of what experienced combat agents my Cerberus could gather. Arturo's was about twenty meters to my left, with Church another forty beyond that, giving us a good degree of protection on this side.

Below, T'Donna and EDI commanded nearly two dozen crew members and agents, along with the three assassin-maidens to protect them from Seekers, but their numbers were paltry against the sheer size of the hangar. The giant Asari had been sensible enough to realize that; she hadn't even bothered to try. Instead the... for lack of a better word, green soldiers and crew had been placed into two circular lines of defense around the lowered ramp with EDI on the front lines and T'Donna commanding from the rear.

The men and women down there had fought before, but only in the smaller skirmishes that had accompanied my break with Harper. This would be combat on another level entirely, and I was entirely unsure as to how many of them would be able to hold up. The same question could be asked of the Nightblades. Kean's people had been training them in the typical Asari arts of war; sedition, seduction, misdirection, sabotage, and assassination. They were deadly enough in a fight, to be sure, but their standard orders when confronted with open battle was to flee as fast as their legs and biotics could carry them.

My continuing musings and concerns were interrupted when the _North Cape's_ engines rumbled to life, the stealth frigate kicking up dust and debris as it lifted off. It began to drift backwards towards open space almost at once, clearing enough room that the _Normandy_ would be able to likewise depart once we had everyone.

Unfortunately, just as I was about to give the orders to accelerate the withdrawal and proceed to stage two, the Collectors elected to act.

Explosions rocked the hangar even before the ship had glided more than a few meters towards the exit, nearly every tunnel that we had sealed blasting open nearly simultaneously. I, and nearly everyone else, opened fire immediately, bullet scything out to impact the first wave of husks that came sprinting out of the dust and smoke. We seemed to be facing the brunt of the initial rush, given that there were two tunnels in front of us compared to just one in front of the others.

Which was, naturally, the same moment that Tela Vasir came in on the priority channel. " _Lawson, how fast can you get your ship here to strafe these bastards for us?"_

Ignoring the call entirely, I flung a hand forwards, dark energy rushing from my implant in response. The throw came in high and at an angle, shoving one Husk roughly into the legs of those beside it. It had enough momentum to cause a massive pile up as the creatures fell all over one another creating a nearly immobile mass of enemies struggling to right themselves.

" _Miranda_?" Shepard, this time. " _Respond_."

I gritted my teeth as I pulled hard on my rifle's trigger, ignoring the dangerously rising heat as I tried to kill as many of the husks as I could before the real enemy arrived. "Occupied!"

Cutting the line as my weapon overheated, I was about to start snapping orders when the Asari around me proved themselves to be sensible enough to copy me. More throws whipped out at harsh angles, driving the Husks down and back, creating a new mess that saw EVA hurl a pair of grenades. That finished them off entirely just in time for the actual danger to arrive, the towering forms of Collector combat drones rushing in harsh sprints.

We'd cleared the area around each of the tunnels of debris, leaving them with no real cover and the creatures new it. Perhaps half took to the air while the others opened fire with unnerving accuracy as they attempted to rush us.

"Focus high!" I snapped as I evaluated the oncoming wave, my hands automatically changing the heat sink in my weapon. Five were airborne, and four were on the ground, too many to easily deal with in both categories... but those approaching on the ground could be dealt with more easily than those that looked to be aiming to land behind us.

Two harriers and three heavy pistols began to bark in sequence as we fired at the airborne creatures, all of us aiming at their wings rather than their protected bodies. A trio quickly seemed to stagger in the air, while a fourth tumbled down to the ground entirely. The concentrated fire coming from the surface team pushed us back in turn, forcing us all to duck as barriers and technical panels shattered underneath their firepower.

One of the maidens, she'd introduced herself as Ula, risked her skull to check the situation. She ducked almost instantly, pulled a grenade free from her belt, hesitated, then tossed it over as she shouted, "Wave push!"

I understood her plan in a moment of clarity, and joined my own power to their own as the three flared their biotics, sending a broad wave of biotic power towards the incoming Collectors. It wouldn't have done much of anything to them directly, the power too diffuse to even get through their kinetic barriers... but it carried her grenade, and those the Collectors had thrown at us, directly at them at a high rate of speed.

The dull crack of a fragmentation grenade was joined by a higher pitched sizzling sound, and it was my turn to rise in time to see two almost perfect spheres of golden light fading away to reveal the twitching remains of three attacks. I didn't have time to look for the fourth, given that the surviving quartet who had been in the air landed in the wake of the explosion all around us.

One came at me directly, its weapon missing, a clawed hand slapping aside my own as the other snapped for my throat. Borrowing some of Shepard's athletic style, I accepted the momentum, twisting as I kept a hold of my rifle and letting its punch deflect off of my shoulder pad. Reversing my motion, I slammed the butt of the weapon into its armored gut, driving the insectoid thing back. A whistling shriek of rage emanated from it as it planted its feet and tried to shift direction to come at me from the left, but as fast as it was it was not faster than the upgrades my father's scientists had given me.

Using my gun as a club, I struck it hard in a shoulder to send it off balance, then dropped low and swept its gangly legs out from beneath it. A three round burst into its right eye socket executed it before its body even hit the ground, leaving me free to look around as our little portion of the battle seemed to end.

One Nightblade was down, the other two standing protectively over her limp frame, their characteristic blades blazing with sizzling dark energy. EVA had lost her left arm but was largely intact beyond that, checking the Collectors status via neat headshots with her pistol. A glance to the left confirmed that the battles on our flank had likewise slowed to a near stop, but the torrent of gunfire below was as loud as ever.

At least the _North Cape_ had gotten out, freeing us of that concern.

"Status?" I asked, nodding towards the downed Asari. "That is Aishi?"

"Dead." Ula reported, "One landed behind her while she was dealing with another, broke her neck."

I grimaced, "EVA, get her body inside and then seal the airlock. You two, with me, we're going down. T'Donna! We're en route to support, sitrep!"

" _Shit!"_ Came the prompt and expected reply. " _They hit us from both sides, harder on the left! Can you sweep around the ass of the ship and flank them!?"_

"Confirmed!" I answered, "Arturo, Jesse, wounded to the ship, everyone else to the ground!"

Both confirmed in good order, and I soon had four men and women rushing after us as I lead the way towards the 'ramp' the Asari had thrown together out of debris. Less pleasant were the three people limping and staggering towards the forward airlock, carrying three more utterly limp forms with them. From the scorched and blackened nature of their armor, it had been the grenades that had killed them.

Dammit. I should have spread out the biotics rather than concentrating them. My section may have taken the brunt of the attack, but it had left the other teams fare more vulnerable.

There wasn't time for further self-recrimination as my boots hit the hangar's surface, the two Asari easily keeping pace as we rushed past the ship's engines and landing struts. What little we could see of the fight nearer to the ramp was confused and obfuscated by both debris and the _Normandy_ itself, leaving us with no real feel for the situation beyond T'Donna's cursing and orders as she redressed the defensive line.

We got a better look as we moved around the wreckage that had once been the balcony on this side of the cavernous room. Our hosts had blown out three tunnels on the ground level, and another four up high. A steady carpet of dead husks on the ground told us that the defenders had initially been facing them directly, likely far closer, but had pulled back towards the ship's ramp and bow fairly quickly.

At the far end of the ruin, using it partially as cover of their own, were three Collectors shepherding the unsteady form of a Scion. The top heavy creature twisted as it fired; dark energy exploding out to detonate somewhere in the distance, its escorts promptly rising to lay down covering fire as it recharged.

"That's not good." Ula murmured beside me, quickly sliding back, "How do we take it down?"

"What grenades do you have left?" I asked.

"Two stunners and a wire." She replied, nodding towards her partner. "Juni's got a frag and an incendiary."

I exhaled as our other teams caught up to us, quickly taking knees and trying to catch their breath as quickly as they could. "Slow roll a stunner and then the wire, I'll bounce them on arrival. Soon as they're down, we take their position. Jesse, your team is covering the tunnels. Arturo, our left flank."

Her helmet bobbed agreeably, quickly followed by the others. I took a few precious seconds to tell T'Donna that we were about to make our move, primarily to give my people a tiny but necessary break, and was told in turn that they had solidified their defenses around the ramp but that the sooner we acted the better given that the gate teams were reporting enemies moving on them even as they headed back to reinforce us.

Twenty seconds later we were set and acting, two grenades innocuously rolling along the ground, propelled by tiny bursts of biotic energy. Hitting such small targets from range was anything but simple, taking nearly all of my focus as I gently flicked my fingers forwards, sending tiny motes of blue light out to enact my will. The stunner was struck first, bouncing up exactly as desired to detonate right in the center of the formation.

Our enemies were still reeling when the razor-wire grenade arrived. The results of its activation were... messy.

The Scion was, more or less, flayed alive; various body parts simply sliding off of in utterly disgusting splatters of gore. The Collectors fared better, their barriers protecting them from the filaments emitting from the spinning disc, at least until the Scion's eezo laced weapon detonated in a blue flash of light.

The blast flung its escorts away, and served as our signal to rush forwards.

Arturo and his team quickly took the lead, executing the downed creatures with sharp bursts as they ran past, leaving myself and the two Asari to take up the positions they had once occupied. It took an honest effort to not pay attention to what I was now standing in, and about to kneel in, and I wasn't entirely sure how the less enhanced individuals around me coped.

Regardless, the situation we had inserted ourselves in proved to be chaotic.

T'Donna had contracted her defense into a tight right around the base of the lowered ramp, men and women stubbornly firing from behind carefully positioned debris. Their accuracy and fire discipline was decidedly poor, but the three Nightblades were bolstering their protection by keeping any grenades away, while T'Donna and Gardner were both manning tripod mounting Spitfires in the hangar proper. The two weapons were letting out steady roaring bursts as they focused on the center and the far right, keeping the opponents fairly well pinned down on that side.

Which was why she'd asked us to flank them on this side. Sensible.

The next several minutes were an exercise in routine, insomuch as any life or death struggle could be defined as routine. Our enemies, sensibly intelligent themselves, considered the new situation and elected to enact a partial withdrawal. Pulling back from the center and area directly around the ramp, they fell back to the areas on the far side of the hangar. Many vanished back into the opened tunnels, a few flew up to the balcony I had helped defend not a few minutes ago, while the remainder settled in to start up a suppressing barrage.

We assisted their retreat via grenades and biotics, my teams eventually moving to take the place of T'Donna's people. The less experienced crew quickly began to grab their wounded and dead, there was far too many of both categories, pulling them within the safety of the ship.

That left the situation in an awkward form of a standoff for nearly ten minutes, with everyone obviously waiting for reinforcements. Thankfully, for once, ours arrived first; three gate teams emerging from the main tunnel at speed, racing for the _Normandy._

"Cover them!" I snapped, "Grenades!"

What pitifully few such devices we had left promptly sailed out, my biotics and others assisting their flight. The explosions, bursts of napalm, and flashes of light disrupted the Collectors firing line sufficiently to let our allies make the short sprint. A quick count as they came on showed that all of the Blades remained alive, or at least, those who hadn't fallen in the initial attacks had stayed alive through the act of defending them.

"Onto the ship!" I shouted as sixteen mercenaries pounded past, a few slowing enough to help provide more covering fire as my own teams began to quickly backpedal. "Moreau!

Rather than reply verbally, the pilot simply thrummed the idling engines up to power, the vessel already moving before the ramp had begun to raise.

"Time to arrival?" I asked, watching as those who were still healthy enough to fight quickly began to grab for water and food.

" _Five minutes."_ He replied cockily, " _Six or seven if Shep wrecked the place."_

Speaking of, I quickly shifted the channel, "Shepard, we've cleared the main hangar and are en route to the secondary. We took losses defending the ship but are still combat effective. What is your status?"

Rather than the Spectre, Kean's crisp voice answered me. " _Shepard, Williams, and Vasir are already moving on to the core, they want to keep them off balance. My lancer teams and I are holding the hangar for you."_

"Confirm?" I asked, frowning inside my helmet. "That was not the plan."

He grunted and his voice lowered slightly, " _Grunt and Bourdin are dead, and Zorah is heavily sedated. She wants this over with."_

"Ah." I exhaled, "In that case I am going to have the _North Cape_ remain outside of the hangar, only having one ship present will accelerate our ability to depart."

Another quiet sound of agreement, " _We're setup at the far end, the place is mostly intact. How many effectives will you have?"_

I glanced around the hangar. Of the twenty plus crew that T'Donna had begun the fight with, perhaps a dozen were upright but I wasn't precisely eager to put them back into the fray. They would be far better used remaining within the hangar to provide covering fire from a safer distance. That left myself, the five remaining Nightblades, and the four remaining members of my experienced team. Of the Blade gate teams, four of the sixteen had revealed themselves to be walking wounded, and one Asari was flat on her back; biotic exhaustion evidently catching up to her.

"Ten of mine, eleven of yours." I answered, "Plus a firing line from the ship itself."

Kean clicked his mic in reply before cutting the line, likely already plotting out were he would position us when we arrived... which informed me that he expected an assault. Likely an immediate one.

"They're going to come at us with everything." I blinked and glanced to my left to see T'Donna towering over me, having evidently approached while I was speaking with her boss. "Anyone not after Shepard will be trying to cripple or blow this ship apart."

"Agreed." I murmured. "How many biotics do you wish to defend this room?"

Her helmet shifted as she considered it, finally answering, "The Khar'shan team, if you can spare them."

My left hand waved towards where four panting Asari were trying to get electrolytes into their bodies, guzzling energy drinks and water in equal measure. "Their yours. Keep the remainder of the crew back as best you can until we're down the ramp, then set them up as you see fit to cover us."

T'Donna nodded, turning and limping away before starting to call out orders, preparing everyone for the next... and hopefully final round.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Dante's Inferno: V**_

 _And the fight continues. We're two chapters from the end of this particular operation, the next one will be Cieran covering the defense of the hangar and updates from Shepard and Vasir as they make their way into the base's core. After him we'll have one last chapter from a seperate pov, and then we'll be onto the epilogues._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 ** _Review Responses:_**

BJ Hanssen _;_ _That was the close runner up, and it was how I had it in my head for a while, but it just didn't quite stick for some reason._


	50. Operation: Dante's Inferno V

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 ** **Operation: Dante's Inferno****

* * *

 ** **The Silver Blade****

 _ _Cieran Kean__

* * *

The Collectors made two probing attacks in the time between Shepard's departure and Miranda's arrival. Not overly serious ones, they were more annoying than anything else, but it was still another bloody thing to deal with. Especially given that we had to keep Tali and one of William's wounded soldier types protected while they lay comatose behind a bit of debris.

Thankfully our reinforcements had gotten them onto the ship as soon as they'd arrived, along with the bodies of our fallen. Of course even in removing one concern they'd brought in another; the last two nuclear bombs that we'd been sitting on. Grunt had been the one who'd been tasked with carrying one of the things when they made their push, EDI and EVA the other, and Shepard had gone ahead without waiting in either case.

"I'm going to leave them on the ship for now." Miranda spoke from where she was crouched beside me, the pair of us resting behind a broken loader of some kind. "If we absolutely have to we can simply arm them and drop them before exiting."

I nodded slightly, it wasn't as if one spot was better than another in the small hangar so that was as good a plan as any other. "I want your teams out in that alcove, right over there. It has the access to the narrower run down to the core. We'll handle the main run and the service exits."

She gave me a quick nod of her own, the moved off to start snapping orders to her people. Her voice mixing with Shyeel's as my companion got our own teams into their positions.

Our formation resembled a lopsided crescent, one end near the front of the _Normandy_ and then curving around the ship's port side where the last gate would open to the main run we'd held not long before. The area I'd given Miranda's people was on the right, with Chek's veteran team right next to her. Terro's team, now commanded by Deshi after the former's death at gate three, was to his left in turn. Beyond them would be Aya and her people, and my little trio would be anchoring the formation at the far end. Horvak and his line soldiers would be our only serious reserves, the eight survivors hauling debris around to create a defensive position in front of the ship's ramp. Behind them, Illyan and the ship's crew would be providing what cover they could.

Not the best defensive position, but it was what we had. At least there was a minimal number of service shafts and tunnels connected to this one compared to the main hangar. Even better they were almost entirely concentrated on the interior side, largely ensuring that we were secure from being flanked.

Although... our flanks were really our least concern. The Collectors would have worked out the plan by now. They'd throw everything they could at Shepard to try and stop her, and at us to make sure that none of us escaped even if she succeeded in triggering some kind of meltdown. Worse, we'd obviously had the measure of surprise for most of the past hour of combat, but the increasing numbers of combat drones and decreasing numbers of the slighter worker drones made it clear that time had passed.

I grumbled about that as I walked over to where Voya was already setup, settled on a knee with her Viper resting on some kind of broken machine. "I hate competent enemies who don't care about their own lives."

"Doesn't everyone?" Her head shook tiredly, her entire body shifting back and forth a bit as she settled in. "Saw some movement two minutes ago, but might have just been Seekers."

"Aya?" I called, glancing at the team next to us, "Yours see anything?"

The Batarian woman shook her helmeted skull, "Just slight movement sir. Are you sure we shouldn't close the gate?"

"I want to stand off their first push first," I replied, "We close it now they'll know they need breaching equipment to start off with. Might buy us some time."

"Assuming," Voya muttered, "That we _can_ close the gate when it comes time."

I glowered at her through my visor, "Do I nitpick your plans?'

"All the time." She replied breezily, then her entire body stiffened. A heartbeat later her rifle barked out a round, and everyone around tensed. "Husk... it's down."

"Just the one?" I asked, wishing to the goddess that my rifle had survived. My hand cannon was an amazing weapon, and the only I had seemed to have any real degree of accuracy with, but it wasn't exactly a sharpshooter's tool.

"For now."

I grimaced, "Shyeel, we're going to need you over here. Illyan! You're handling the reserves, tell Horvak when you want them to move up."

 _"Got it boss."_ The latter replied, while Shyeel merely appeared behind us in a burst of biotic light. She came in close enough that the bow shock knocked me into Voya, making us both grumble and call her some rather unflattering things that merely made her snort while the Lancers nearby choked down laughter.

It didn't do much to relieve the tension and exhaustion, but it did a little... and that was all we really had time for.

The Collectors hit us from more or less every direction at once, and, what was worse, they didn't bother with husks or worker drones. Two Scions emerged into the main run, covered by more than a dozen combat drones along with a biotic. Rather than actually trying to advance, they quickly settled in behind the stasis pods strewn across the pseudo-roadway and began laying down suppressive fire.

We replied in kind, but the Scions proved to be the primary issue. The biotic quickly acted to deflect what technical mines I tried to send at them, while the lumbering creatures began to work on demolishing our cover.

I growled to myself as their plan became clearer. They were trying to draw us into either advancing on them to deal with the creatures, sit here and lose our defensive position, or withdraw and let them get closer without a real fight. Nothing but positives from their point of view.

"Snipers focus on the Scions, aim for their weapons!" I snapped, "Heavy weapons try and tag the biotic! Miranda, status on the right?"

" _Dozen collectors, biotic, double Scion."_ Came the quick list, " _Evidently it is a kind of combat formation."_

Evidently. "Can you hold them?"

" _The hall they're moving down is narrow enough, we have them contained."_

"Good." I exhaled, "Illyan, I need whoever you had manning that second Spitifre over here. Aya! Get Vecca over to the gate controls, wait for my signal to shut them!"

Confirmation came in the form of a lithe little Asari scuttling back from the firing line, then darting past the three of us and looping around towards the wall. She slid to a halt next to the control panel in question, her position completely out of sight from the Collectors still throwing erratic fire at us even as the others returned fire.

Shyeel took to directing the fire, coordinating a barrage between herself, Voya, and Nikros' sniper rifles to continuously hammer the Scion on the left side. It managed to get off a pair of rounds of its own, demolishing the Krogan woman's cover and forcing her to move farther to the right, but collapsed itself under the impacts from their fire. The other Scion, irritably, had a much better position with most of its body protected by stacked stasis pods, and the enemy biotic seemed to be personally protecting the thing.

Its barriers didn't hold up under the deluge we threw out at it, but it bought it enough time to entirely fuck up our defensive line on this side before Shyeel managed to put it down. Aya was still secure with us, but the rest of her team had been forced to shift over, huddling up with Deshi's team, leaving a giant bloody gap in our ranks... and worse, concentrating our people neatly.

"Close it!" I shouted, knowing that grenades or particle lances would be coming soon, and with everyone concentrated like that they were sitting ducks. "Close the gate!"

Vecca was already on it, her hand slapping the controls. The heavy bulkhead began to slide shut almost at once, moving smoothly at a pretty good rate of speed as it did. The firing sputtered to a stop and then cut out as they clanged shut, leaving only the quieter sounds coming from where Miranda and Chek's teams were holding the other entrance.

"Reform the cover as best you can!" I continued giving orders, glancing over at the other side. "Miranda, sitrep!"

There was a heavy surge to the gunfire, then it abruptly petered away. " _They're pulling back, likely taking stock of the situation."_

"Probably." I agreed, flicking my omni-tool to adjust the channel. "Shepard, you alive?"

 _"Yes, and still advancing."_ The Spectre replied at once, " _We're on some kind of conveyor system of platforms heading towards the core. They behind us?"_

"Of course they are." My voice was dry, "They're also hitting us from the left, and I'm expecting them to start playing games with the walls soon enough. Sooner you can hit the core the better."

She made a grunting noise, " _We're working on it."_

I was about to respond with a comment about her needing to work a bit faster when there was a ringing _clang_ through the entire hangar. Everyone glanced at the bulkhead we'd just closed, and Vecca proved to have a good head on her shoulders; she wasted no time in bolting back towards our position and all but dove into cover just as a second blow rang out.

Everyone got back into position and tensed up... for nothing to happen. More sounds came and went, but the tones shifted, becoming deeper, farther away.

" _EDI?"_ Lawson asked after the second minute.

" _I am not detecting any unusual activity within my scanning range."_ The AI responded at once, " _There have been no overt explosions or surges in their power grid."_

That made me frown a little, "Tunneling below the gate?"

 _"Unlikely."_ EDI managed to insert a verbal shrug to her words, " _There is a great deal of service equipment and solid rock beneath this hangar. They would require sizable amounts of equipment and time to make such a plan work."_

Miranda spoke before I could, " _If not below, above? No... the gates retract laterally, could they be disabling the equipment locking them in place?"_

EDI hummed, " _Possible, but such a thing would again require explosive detonations on a level we could detect."_

I grimaced, "What if they're using biotics, or just brute strength?"

There was a long pause, " _That... would be possible."_

No sooner had she stated as much then a pair of spots on the thick gate began to glow ominously. I didn't need to remind everyone to be ready, but I did so anyway, settling in beside Voya and Shyeel as best I could as whatever it was continued to melt their way through the metal. The process didn't take nearly as long as it should have, though the heavy talons that slammed through the still red hot alloy was rather unexpected.

Whatever was dragging it was evidently strong as shit because they didn't have any problems simply dragging the doors open.

I decided to help them, activating my omnitool and firing off an incinerate mine. The orange disc whipped out from its launcher at a high, curving angle that brought it down through the widening gap to detonate in a muted flash of light and a whistling shriek from something. Voya quickly fired off one of her own, the barrage followed by those Lancers who had launchers.

More yellow-orange explosions were joined by more of the odd screams, then a biotic, or more than one, flooded the gap with a barrier while also tossing out power to divert our mines away. Our Asari, plus Jacqueline but minus Shyeel, quickly responded in kind; lances of warpfire, counter-throws, and the occasional shock-wave joined the deluge to create an almost psychedelic display as blue and green dark energy met one another.

Of course, that was just the prologue. The actual battle resumed once the two halves of the gate were about three meters apart, allowing Husks to start flooding through.

I brought my pistol up, firing it one handed while my left continued to trigger mines. Once again everyone else followed suit with no real need for me to bother with orders. Biotics, gunfire, and technical devices began to tear into the cybernetic zombies. None made it more than a couple of meters past the gateway... at least at first.

I began to feel a lot less clever about shutting the door when I had as the Husks continued to storm out, dying in droves, overheating our weapons, tiring us, and buying their commanders more time to finish opening the gates behind them. Closing the gateway may have bought us time, but it had also given the Collectors the ability to pile up fairly close to us instead of having to storm forwards under cover.

And apparently they'd also had the time to summon everything they could to deal with us.

The Spitfire armed crew-member that Illyan had dispatched proved himself to be invaluable almost at once, the heavy weapon thundering in tight bursts accompanying by incinerates from its secondary barrel. He probably cut down close to a third of the husks on his own, ensuring that none of them managed to cross the thirty meters or so to reach us.

He was also the first to die when the Collectors shifted to Asari tactics.

Three robed biotics appeared when there was only a dozen or so Husks still upright, surging forwards in charges. The first struck the poor manning mounting the Spitfire, emerald warpfire rolling out over the screaming man before anyone else could react. I didn't see where the third one ended up primarily because the second one emerged from a charge right on top of Voya, the bow shock knocking Shyeel and I sideways.

I hadn't realized that Aya had evidently copied my armament style, and only realized that when the Batarian woman snapped her left arm forwards, a submission net whipping towards the biotic. This creature was quicker on the uptake than the one I'd killed earlier, managing to half-dodge the incoming fibers. Rather than wrapping it up entirely the net simply began to sizzle and burn over its left arm, head, and shoulder, drawing a buzzing scream as it flung it away.

Of course that left it motionless for all four of us to open fire at point blank range. Collector biotics may have been offensive juggernauts but their barriers were fairly weak and the creature reeled backwards as they shattered. Blood and viscera went flying as it died, letting us scramble back into position just in time for the last several husks to vault our cover as they hurled themselves forwards.

My right arm rose on reflex, a snap-fire shot taking the head off the one coming at me. That didn't stop its momentum any, and I cursed as I used my shoulder and left arm to hurl the corpse aside. That gave me an excellent view of the rest of the Collectors setting up, and to be an ideal target as they opened fire. Evidently friendly fire didn't bother them because they shot down several of the remaining Husks even as they started hammering at us.

Cursing, I ducked back down, blindly firing my pistol a few times while I adjusted my tech launcher for an overload pattern. "Sitrep!?"

"Wokim is down!" Aya shouted as she returned fire with her carbine, ducking as her shields broke. "Vecca got burnt but she's upright!"

"And fucking angry!" The Asari in question snarled from farther down the line, a burst of biotic energy hurling a shard of metal like a javelin to impale a Collector who'd lingered in the open too long.

Deshi was next, " _Jin and Kin are dead, that biotic landed on top of them."_

I fought down a curse. "Horvak! Half of yours to Deshi!"

" _En route_!' The Turian replied, my rear camera showing me several figures already rushing in that direction.

I risked a quick glance at the situation. The Collectors had drawn themselves up in several lines laterally across the entire 'street', and were firing at us in a steady rhythm; groups of four coordinating their shots to try and keep us pinned down. Several had made it into the hangar proper, on the wall side near Deshi and Chek's teams, forcing them to focus on that area and severely limiting our return fire to the main body.

Even as I watched another team of four made a fast sprint into the hangar, ducked behind some cover, and only a shockwave from Jacqueline stopped them from extending the battle even farther on that side.

"They're slow rolling us." I growled, firing off three overloads in rapid succession the moment I saw a group that looked ready to try and move to our left. "Trying to extend our lines so far that we won't be able to hold off a direct assault."

Shyeel grunted as her Kishok thundered, taking the head off of a drone before we both had to duck once more. "What do we do about it?"

"Working on that." I replied. Retreating to our second line would consolidate us but it would also let the Collectors approach even further, and if the assholes had any heavy weapons they could start trying to damage the ship. The ideal solution would be to commit our reserves, advance, and throw the fuckers back... but we just didn't have the numbers.

We could either sit here and take it as best we could, or we could withdraw and try and setup a better defensive line... Athame's azure, I fucking _hated_ competent enemies.

Our goal was to hold this position and survive until Shepard's team returned, so what we needed most was time. The longer we held this forward position the better... dammit, I needed our pitiful reserves, and likely some of the people Illyan was holding back as well. With them we might be able to hold them off, perhaps manage a localized counter-attack.

"We hold here!" I shook my head, "Miranda, do you need reinforcements!"

" _Negative."_ She replied at once, " _They're holding us in place but not seriously pushing."_

Which made sense. That avenue of approach was far more narrow, it would be far harder to actually push into the hangar. "Horvak, get everyone else over here, I want you to set up on Chek's right and extend the line all the way to the wall. Illyan! Give Ula as many grenades as you can, then send her to the secondary line!"

Her reply was instant. " _On it!"_

"Good." I exhaled, glancing back to see Horvak and his remaining people rushing off to the far end of the line. "Ula, I want you as our artillery. Focus on any groups and hit them as best you can."

" _Yes sir!"_ She called even as the first of the Asari in their black bodysuits and light armor began to dart down the ship's ramp.

Their arrival, and our meager reinforcements, proved enough to shift the engagement into something like balance for several minutes. The Collectors ceased trying to extend the line in favor of just trying to keep us pinned down, probably while they whistled up some more biotics, Scions, or Husks to bolster their own efforts. That or they were considering shifting their focus to Miranda's side. In either case no one on our side actually died, but I don't think we killed more than one or two Collectors. They seemed to have picked out where our snipers were located and concentrated most of their efforts in those areas.

As I was sitting next to two of said snipers, I didn't contribute overly much beyond to adjust firing patterns. After the third such minute, I decided it was time to take some momentum back for ourselves.

"Chek!" I called after taking another look over the situation, and noting that the Collectors in the back ranks were adjusting themselves for one reason or another. If they were getting ready for something, this was the ideal time to make them think about something else. "Take Horvak and push up on the right, throw those fuckers out of that position and take the corner back! Ula, Deshi, focus your attentions on supporting them!"

The Krogan let out a booming laugh in reply, following it quickly with one of his prearranged battle plans. It took an extra couple of sentences to fill in the Line soldiers on their job, but they all rolled forwards a second or three after Ula's people used their biotics to throw a barrage of smoke grenades and stunners into the corner in question.

Our most veteran team rushed forwards under a deluge of suppressing fire from Horvak's people, the Krogan leading with Jacqueline and Mirala right behind him. The three plunged into the smoke and chaos, flashes of gunfire and biotic power illuminating the smoke in wild, strobe-like patterns. Washana and Vessian plunged in after them, and a few seconds later the Line soldiers followed up.

The Collectors, proving that they were annoying intelligent at times, quickly began to pull back. Of the dozen that had been back there, eight managed to get out of the smoke and rush back towards the nearest position of cover provided by a few stasis pods. That, of course, brought them into Deshi's line of sight, and his team wasted little time in dropping three of them, and Jacqueline managed to catch another with a gout of warpfire.

Chek didn't need any further instructions; rather than stopping there he continued to push. Mirala's biotics flared as she grabbed a stasis pod and actually levitated the thing. Jacqueline let out a furious bellow a second later and hurled it forwards like an airborne battering ram. It caught and crushed one of the Collectors like the bug it was, and sent the rest scattering as Chek rumbled forwards, backed up by the other two members of his team.

Naturally, just as it looked as if they would be able to setup in a position that let them fire right down the Collectors line of battle inside the hangar proper, while also being safe from fire from the main run... the enemy made their own move.

No fewer than five Scions abruptly shambled into view, firing in sequence as they came around the corner. Everyone ducked and swore as the strange explosions detonated around us, then rose and began to return fire just in time to receive an absolute deluge of fire as the Collectors put everything they had into making us duck once again.

Then the things that had opened the gates finally came around the corners from where they'd been lurking; two massive centaur like creatures came surging forwards and four spike tipped legs. It was only when they opened fire with particle lances that I realized that they were some form of Praetorian, but with what I thought were Krogan torsos and heads rather than the odd Human things the Matriarch had shoved into my head. Their right arms ended in the massive talons that they'd used to haul the gate open, while their left ended in double-ended barrels of the lances that blazed out golden beams.

One went right after Chek and Horvak, while the other simply bowled forwards, heading right for the ship.

"Focus fire!" Suiting action to word, I opened fire with one hand and triggered an overload with the other. "Aim for the legs!"

Everyone else joined in, but the thing's shields held more than long enough for it to reach Deshi's position at the center of our line. Everyone scattered, but Nikros was a shade too slow. The thing slammed one of its legs right through her left leg, booming out a mocking sound as the Krogan woman howled in pain. She shoved her Kishok into its guts and pulled the trigger at about the same time as it leveled its weapon arm and put two beams of plasma through her chest.

Deshi let out a furious snarl that would have done Voya proud, the young Taker actually diving beneath the creature and firing his carbine at point blank range into its belly. The thing roared again, moving with impossible speed to scuttle sideways away from him. He tried to follow and was batted away by its clawed hand, crashing to the ground somewhere near Ula's team.

It turned just in time to see Voya and I bearing down on its flank, our pistols barking against its failing shields. It tried to shift back, what might have passed for it intestines dangling disgustingly beneath it as it turned to face us. The particle lances glowed as it aimed at Voya, but it was too slow to keep up when she threw herself to the right, the energy burning lines in the ground behind us.

Activating my left gauntlet, I ducked a wild blow, slammed my fist into its front left leg and breaking something before following up on Nikros' work and putting three rounds into the gaping wound in its armored stomach. The thing reeled backwards, staggering as it seemed to go down, then abruptly whirled itself around to drive its good front leg at me.

I hadn't expected the maneuver, or the speed with which the crippled creature managed to move, and the blow took me across the chest. I didn't fly as far as Deshi, the things strength was evidently failing, but I still tumbled as I hit the ground. I managed, barely, to come up in a crouch with a knee on the ground, glancing up in time to see Voya dodge a much slower blow, dancing inside its reach and shoving a grenade right inside its body.

Then she was bounding away, the thing dying messily as said grenade went off.

Deshi staggered up next to me, offering me a hand. I accepted it, saw a flash of light and hauled him down just as a Scion's round screamed past us.

"Sitrep!" I coughed, the pair of us scrambling forwards, staying as low as we could.

Mirala's sensual voice was low and hard, " _Chek is dead, that thing tore his throat out. It's dead but Washana and Vessan are crippled, it's all Jack and I can do to stop the bleeding."_

I swore, "Get them back to the ship! Horvak, hold that position! They're moving up!"

The Collectors had used the time their centaurs had bought them to roll their entire third line up to their second, and their second up to their first, and even as I watched their first began to storm forwards under suppressing fire from those behind them. The fucking Scions were still upright, and fired off another barrage from the rear lines, sending several of us stumbling around as we tried and failed to cut down the charging enemies.

I dropped one from the team rushing to were the young Quarian and I had found cover, then three of them were bounding over the pod we were behind and coming at us. Ducking, taking a short burst of gunfire to my right shoulder as the first came at me. Technical panels shattered, and pain ripped into my bicep, but then it was close enough for me surge forwards, slamming my left hand into its odd skull.

The gauntlet shattered armor and bone, the thing tonelessly collapsing in time to let me fire into the one that had jumped Deshi. Its shots had evidently done more damage to him than I'd suffered, he was on his ass and struggling to get it off him. My rounds took it in the back, killing it and leaving it to slump over the wounded man.

Collector number four landed on the pod beside us, aimed its gun, and then the top half of its head came apart as Shyeel executed it before it could do the same to us.

"Thanks!" I shouted, kicking the corpse off of Deshi and offering him my hand. He took it a bit woozily, letting me haul him up as I turned around to try and get a better idea as to how everyone else was doing.

That left me facing the correct direction in time to see the Scions fire... but this time my fatigued reflexes weren't enough to get us out of the way. The blow hit me on the left shoulder like a charging Krogan, sending me flying back into Deshi. My helmet slammed into his as we both went down, tumbling over one another.

The station whirled around wildly, gunfire and biotics screaming overhead... I remember trying to get up, remembering a splitting ache in my skull...

Then darkness fell.

* * *

 _ **Next up is Dante's Inferno: VI**_

 _And Cieran is down, not dead but very unconscious, and things aren't looking so good for the crew. We've got one more chapter to go, covering the final defense of the ship as Shepard makes her run back to the Normandy... and we still have several named characters who won't be making it out._

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__

* * *

 _ _ **Review Responses:**__

 _AngelForm;_ _ _in my head cannon the ship's lasers are mounted on its aft-dorsal section, and then on either flank above its 'wings'. That doesn't really give it much ability to fire on infantry targets directly beneath it, and firing the main cannon or missiles would have been asking to bury themselves in rubble considering how damaged the hangar already was__ _._

 _5 Coloured Walker;_ _ _Primarily plot driven, with the occasional good bit of mental debate and then discussion with Blocked over who is going to die when. For this particular mission only five major characters had absolute plot armor, I considered everyone else more or less equally before settling on who all would go down.__

 _BJ Hanssen, Septim7, xneseyx;_ _ _in my head Grunt was always the most likely person to end up dead. He's reckless, aggressive, and had the notable disadvantage of being a Krogan when it comes to taking cover. Skill and natural toughness only go so far.__


	51. Operation: Dante's Inferno VI

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Operation: Dante's Inferno**

* * *

 **Branded Survivor**

 _(Shyeel T'Voth)_

* * *

Everything had gone to the fucking deeps.

No sooner had Voya snarled that Cieran was down than the entire bloody station had shuddered around us, Shepard shouting over the radio that they had done _something_ to the station, were rushing back at top speed... and that we needed to be ready to go the instant they returned. A couple of seconds after _that_ the Collectors had stopped trying to act like intelligent, tactically oriented beings in favor of going berserk and trying to roll right over us.

"Fall back to the second line!" I shouted, Cieran's monster pistol bucking in my hand as I retreated, covering Voya and Aye hauling the limp man back towards the ship. Others were doing the same with too many fucking wounded, leaving too few of us to help Illyan's people try and cover them. "Fall back!

"Focus left!" Lawson shouted as she sprinted back, her rifle snapping off rounds as she led her team. "The right is retreating, they're heading back for you Shepard!"

" _Confirmed!_ " The Spectre replied on the all-hands frequency, her shout making me wince as I snapped off another round, putting down a Collector as it charged. " _Don't leave without us!"_

It was tempting as fuck to do just that.

I saw one of the assholes with a particle lance swing it in my direction, and flashed myself backwards on reflex just in time to avoid the golden beam of energy. Cursing the loss of my Kishok, I vaulted a make-shift barricade to land next to two of the body-suited Nightblades, the maidens gamely firing off rounds from carbines they had to have taken from the dead or wounded.

"Keep covering the wounded!" I snapped, "Hold this line!"

There was a chorus of clicks as everyone still ambulatory hauled themselves into our second, smaller and more constrained, defensive position at the base of the ship's ramp. A darting shot careened off my helmet as my barriers collapsed, and I dropped before another could hit more directly and splatter my brains everywhere.

That gave me a few seconds to glance back, watching as the two women continued to hauled Cieran between them, sprinting for the ramp. Other Asari began to appear along the line as they used their own biotics to cover the distance, before turning around and trying to help those without disengage. Growling to myself, this wasn't the time to play it safe, I hauled myself back up to a knee and resumed shooting as the junior lancers simply turned and ran for it as the Cerberus group also sprinted for safety.

Most made it, though more than a couple took hits and snarled in pain as they were wounded.

Some didn't. One of Aya's people tumbled, missing most of his head, and two of the line soldiers didn't even make it halfway back.

The Collectors seemed to recover themselves from their berserker state on seeing a dozen or so of their number get cut down trying to chase after them. They quickly shifted tactics, piling into the positions we'd just abandoned to open up a fusillade. But they didn't _stay_ in cover, or duck when shots started hammering at them... they just used it to obscure themselves as much as possible, firing until we settled our own aim and killed them.

More blue explosions came as the Scions continued to lumber forwards, trying to break up our new position. "Snipers, try and hit those things or we're fucked!"

"Concentrate on the right one!" Lawson concurred, "Work your way to the left!"

The battle seemed to stabilize for a handful of long breaths as our people reached cover, the Collectors running low on easy targets and evidently needing a moment to come up with a new plan.

" _Shyeel_!" Illyan's voice caught me as I ducked again, letting the pistol cool and my barriers recharge, " _Voya's hit_!"

Motherfucking- "How bad!?"

" _I'm fine_!" The Quarian swore, but even from down here I could tell that she wasn't. She'd had to drop Cieran next to where Illyan was manning her spitfire, leaving Aya to drag him into safety. One of her hands was tight against her chest, and her voice was wavering. " _Just... need a minute_."

Lawson growled before I could say anything, "Get the wounded into the ship! Everyone else, use whatever grenades you have left to buy time!"

Jack sprinted back at once, her barriers flaring as the Collectors tried to tag her. She utterly ignored Voya's increasingly weak protests in favor of flaring her biotics, hauling the Quarian up as if she didn't outweigh her, and then resuming her rush deeper into the ship.

"Athame's bleeding azure..." I muttered, getting back up, sighting on a Collector. Two shots put out its shields, the third turned its head into modern art, and then I switched to a new target. This was worse than bad. Cieran, Voya, Chek, Terro...

From above and behind, Illyan continued to sweep our sole remaining Spitfire back and forth, firing out heavy bursts that were doing as much as the rest of us to keep the bugs back. They tried a rush a few breaths later, just as everyone who still had grenades finished getting them ready. Illyan's own fire shifted to a technical barrage at the same time, overloads and incinerate mines screaming out to join the grenades.

Discs were being flung out everywhere, exploding in shrapnel, napalm, flashes of light, and razor-wire as our people used up what artillery we had to keep the Collectors back long enough to finish getting the wounded.

It even seemed to fucking work, at least for a minute or so. The small rush was obliterated almost instantly, and the rest hung back, hunkered down, and didn't do shit besides fire of a few blind shots to remind us that they were still around. It was about when Jack got back, collapsed and panting for breath beside me, that the Collectors decided we'd run out of artillery and that it was time to finish us off.

"Biotics!" The scream from one of the Cerberus grunts made me jerk my head around just as she lost hers to a gout of emerald warpfire.

"Focus fire!" Lawson's shout wasn't really needed, everyone opened up on the robed target as soon as they saw it sprinting along the back wall, tearing crates and gouges into the stone but not killing the stupid thing before it flashed into cover.

Motion out of the corner of my eye made me join the shouting, "Two more left! Left!"

The elite targets flashed left and right, relying on mobility and cover to make up for their relatively weak barriers. To my surprise they didn't start throwing shit around instantly, but it didn't take very long to figure out why.

Two more of the scuttling, butchered Krogan things emerged from the main hall, and right behind them was at least five or six shambling scions all being guided by another Collector biotic and a half-dozen figures that might have been carrying those goddess-damned grenade launchers and particle lances.

"We can't hold!" I spat into the priority channel. Not with all but heavy weapon gone, and our heavy hitting biotics either wounded or barely conscious after hours of combat, "We have to get the ship airborne and use its guns to clear this place!"

"That could collapse the tunnels and block Shepard!" Lawson shouted back.

"Which won't matter if we're all dead!" I countered, "Into the ship, Asari hold as rear guard! Go!"

The Blades around me didn't hesitate. Jack and the others turning ad hauling their exhausted asses back up the ramp. On the other end, the remaining Cerberus agents _did_ hesitate, but not for more than a couple of seconds before Lawson cursed and told them to run before snarling for the ship's crew to be ready.

Which left me and maybe seven other Asari behind to hold off a small, angry horde of insects who clearly saw their prey trying to escape.

High pitched whistling screams came from their deformed heads as the shifted right back to their berserker state, which meant that dozens of them began to sprint, fly, or scuttle in our direction at top speed... but at least also meant that they fucked up their own line of sight and stopped us from getting instantly blown apart by their heavies.

My right hand fired Cieran's pistol as rapidly as I could aim and pull the trigger, while my left yanked my warp sword loose from my belt. Mirala, the surviving Nightblades, and the trio of girls from Khar'shan did much the same, blue warpfire blazing as we pushed power through the eezo lattices.

One of Trena's little assassins had evidently hung onto a final grenade for an emergency, a razor-wire model flying out to reduce a portion of the charge into gory, flayed messes, but that was a small gap against the rush that hit us.

I mentally offered an apology to my friend as I dropped his custom weapon, not having the time to holster it as the first bug flung itself at me, wings buzzing and a SMG firing wildly as I lunged forwards. I may not have been all that good with a sword, not compared to freaks like Trena or a Justicar, but I was more than good enough to gut a flailing insect and then roll aside to behead a second one.

Unfortunately that was about the only easy success I had, since numbers and point-blank gunfire promptly began to take their toll after that.

Two of them tried to tackle me down, while a third put a burst into my chest that shattered my barriers for good and nearly buckled the technical plating over my tits.

I barely avoided one of the tacklers, got clipped by the second, and went spinning to the ground. Bouncing back up let me hack down another creature before it could jump on our ardat-yakshi from behind, and let me also get shot in the back a few times. One of the rounds got through my panels and armor, purple blood misting out of my right bicep and making me bite my tongue in agony.

"Now!" Illyan's bellow came as I spun just in time to deal with a pair of husks that had caught up to their leaders, the things moans' inaudible over the gunfire, screaming, and general chaos. "Back!"

Snapping my head around, I didn't hesitate before flashing myself towards the ship. I mostly made it, banging my hip into a crate and tumbling onto my ass as the others hauled their asses back as well. "Close the ramp!"

The ship was already floating backwards, the mouthy pilot clearly not wanting to risk burying us when the main guns opened up, and the massive ramp began to retract at once. A count glance showed that Mirala and I only had two companions left, one gasping Lancer and a slumped over Nightblade, the other four hadn't made it.

"Shit..."

I let the fire die from my blade as I slumped back, which meant I was entirely unprepared when a Collector biotic exploded in a flash of green light right on top of me. The bow shock ripped the sword free from my loose grip and sent me skidding back along the decking just as three other robed figures arrived, emerald energy already blazing around them as they launched themselves at a bunch of tired and exhausted targets.

A hand snapped up as I forced my damaged body to pour energy down the limb, a flickering curtain barrier snapping around myself just as a gout of warpfire blazed over me. I nearly lost it when I divided my attention, pain roaring up and down my injured arm as I flailed around, trying to grab a weapon.

"Here!" The gasp came from the wounded Nightblade as threw her sword at me, actually falling over just from the effort of it. It tumbled along the floor and nearly impaled me, but I wasn't about to bitch as I grabbed it and hauled myself up.

The Collector almost seemed to shake with laughter, as if amused, and the pressure against my weak protection trailed off as it strode arrogantly forwards. I could hear other people shouting, screaming, biotic detonations shaking the ship nearly as much as the main guns firing just over our heads at things still inside the hangar.

None of that mattered, my attention was entirely on my drained body as I hefted up the short assassin's blade, poured energy into the spider-web lattice of eezo within it, and charged.

The collector drew some kind of stick from its side, the weapon expanding into a long staff that burned with its own eezo, blue tinged with green to become nearly black, and it nearly parried my initial lunge. It whirled the weapon like it had done it a million times, advancing, forcing me back as it tried to land blows on my shoulders and helmet.

I had to use both hands, and each block and parry sent agony rippling up and down my right arm, something the fucker seemed to notice. Its fifth strike proved to be a faint at my left side, and when I bit at the motion it whipped the other end of the staff around to smack right onto my wounded bicep.

My brain ordered my fingers not to let go, but my body had evidently had enough. The scream came out before I could stop it, my new sword clattered to the ground, and an massive foot nearly caved in my ribs as it kicked me down.

One of its hand raised, a half-dome of power encircling us to protect it from the stray gunfire as someone noticed my predicament. I tried to get up, flash myself away... but there was just nothing left to give. My long damaged nervous system had already given me more than it had in years... it had played out, just like the rest of me.

The Collector didn't waste much time, striding forwards, lifting its staff perpendicular to the floor and to my chest, and raised it, clearly intending to drive it right through me and into the decking.

Illyan's warhammer hit from the side as she emerged from a biotic charge, the titanic weapon simply caving in the thing's torso like it had been made from paper.

I had enough energy left to gape at her before she turned, letting me see that she was an absolute mess of blood... most of it her own, then she flashed away again.

"Idiot..." I gasped, rolling onto my side, trying to get a leg beneath me.

The giant maiden came in at another of the biotics just as it batted Lawson aside. It whirled to face her, side-stepped her swing, then reeled back as Goto appeared atop a crate, pumping rounds from a shotgun into it. Illyan didn't miss again, spinning and bringing the hammer down right onto its head, crushing its skull and spine and leaving it to totter for a moment before collapsing in a twitching heap.

Silence came as it fell, only gasps for breath and the rumble of the ship's engines audible.

"Well..." Illyan groaned. "That was a th-thing...sh...shit..."

I started dragging myself forwards as she tottered for a moment, Goto and Lawson likewise scrambling towards her as other wounded began to groan and call for help. None of that mattered compared to Illyan as she went down, her body curling into a fetal position as she began to seize.

" _Shepard is aboard!"_ Chambers' shout came over the loudspeakers as I reached my friend, frantically ripping her helmet off, cursing her for taking her nullifier off and trying to be a goddess—damned hero. " _We're rushing for the relay! Sitrep in cargo bay!?"_

"Medics!" Lawson shouted instantly, "Whoever can be spared!"

" _On the way!"_

I ignored that in favor of trying to get a better look at Illyan, her pupils dilating horribly around purple eyes, blood running from them and from her nose. "Goddess... you... idiot. Get something... in her mouth, before she... bites her tongue off!"

Lawson was already on it, grabbing a broken metal bar of some kind and roughly forcing it between clenching teeth. "Kasumi! Bind her leg before she bleeds out! Arturo! Check on Korolev, she's not moving! Where's Church?"

"Dead!" The man called back from somewhere behind me.

The Cerberus woman cursed, pulling something from her belt, checking it, and then stabbing it into Illyan's neck. "Shit... I have to check on the others."

"Go." I gasped, grabbing the maiden's broad shoulders, helping to roll her onto her back so that the tiny human girl could try and straighten her leg enough to get a tourniquet around it. "Dammit... you had to overdo it..."

Illyan rasped something between the metal, a whimper breaking the syllables apart as she blinked tears and blood from her eyes. "...shr...shor..."

"Shut up." I gave her a light slap on the cheek. "Just... stay calm."

Something that might have been a laugh tried to emerge... then she began to size again, her entire body convulsing as her eyes rolled back.

"I can't stop this!" Goto frantically tried to keep the limb straight, "I need your help!"

I leaned forwards, ready to do so, and put weight on my right arm as I did. White flashed across my eyes, and I blinked again the young human was cursing non-stop and screaming for help. I blinked again and found that I was laying sideways on the deck with no memory of how I'd gotten there.

"That's not good..." I heard myself whisper as booted feet pounded in our direction, and then the weight of the ocean rolled over me, turning my world to darkness.

* * *

 _ **Yeah... sorry about the insanely long weight, my muse deserted me entirely, to the point where I ran off and started a RWBY story just to try and find it again. Took longer than I'd hoped, but I managed to track it down. I won't promise when the next chapter will be, but I'll promise it won't be another two month wait.**_

 _ **I know this chapter is short, but to be honest it was always intended to be. Hopefully my first person skills haven't atrophied, and hopefully everyone is still around to read and enjoy. We'll be moving into the epilogues from here, tallying the body count, checking the wounded, and finding out what happened to Shepard & Co in the core (spoiler: not everyone from the Shep-Vasir-Williams team made it back... actually most of them didn't).**_

 _ **And yes, I did the fall unconscious fade-to-black thing again at the end of the chapter. I promise it's the absolute last time i'll do so in this story. :P**_

 ** _ **Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."**_**

 _ _ **Thanks, Kat**__


	52. Epilogue: Breaking Away

I don't own the Mass Effect.

* * *

 **Epilogue: Breaking Away**

* * *

 _ **The Silver Blade**_

 _Cieran Kean_

* * *

 **Date** : 01-19-2187

 **Location** _:_ Illium Minor, Doru District, Omega, Sahrabarik System

* * *

We had won our little war. The Collectors were dead and gone, courtesy of Shepard overloading the station's reactor and the sympathetic detonations of a few nuclear bombs. EDI and EVA had even managed to abscond with a good amount of data from their systems, information that we still needed to go through and evaluate.

Well... information that someone else would be going through. Shepard and Williams were already gone, heading back to the Alliance and Council so that the former could try and explain herself and use the data she had to convince _someone_ that the threat was real. I wasn't giving her good odds, but who knew, maybe she'd have better luck than I thought.

Lawson had left early today, heading back to her hidden base, though she had indicated she'd probably be going to Novgorod sooner rather than later to work out a new arrangement with Ayle now that our current alliance had run its course. I rather approved of that... Miranda was eminently sensible company, her politics notwithstanding, and if we could keep access to the SR-2 that would be a major benefit.

"Or it would be if we had any Lancers left for her to shuttle around." I muttered, tipping my second drink back. The alcohol burning pleasantly as I forced myself to keep going through the list.

Of the twenty three Lancers I had brought with on the mission, ten were dead, and nine of the remaining thirteen were wounded.

Of my four squad leaders, only Aya was still alive. Chek and Terro were both gone, costing me two more friends, and I'd never really gotten a chance to know Helir. The worst was Terro's old Team Two... they were down to a mere pair of survivors, and Deshi was fighting off an infection while Herra was being fitted for a cybernetic left leg.

Our support teams hadn't gotten off any lighter. The volunteer squad has lost four people, with four more wounded, one crippled for life, and our Nightblade maidens had seen half of their number die and all three of the rest were among the walking wounded.

That we weren't the only ones hammered by losses didn't really improve my mood.

Miranda and Shepard had gotten off strangely light compared to the rest of us, but they'd still lost good people. Grunt and Kara Bourdin were both dead, Mordin had needed emergency surgery that he'd evidently done himself, and Tali had been left on the SR-2, still under the knife with Nikita watching over her. For their part, the Cerberus crew had lost maybe one in five, positively light causalities, and they'd been the only group to suffer more dead than wounded.

Williams was still alive, barely, and so was Vega, but the rest of her team was dead. They'd evidently been on the rear-guard detail once they'd made it to the core, and had been all but overrun trying to hold the line.

Which still left them better off than Tela Vasir and her team... dead to the last Asari, the Spectre herself evidently going full kamikaze to delay the proto-Reaper long enough for Shepard to overload the core and then run. There was probably a long story to that, but Shepard hadn't been in the mood to share, and I hadn't been in the mood to ask.

"You shouldn't be drinking alone." I glanced up at Shyeel's voice, my old friend walking in to my office, one arm bound against her chest in a sling, a bottle of something held in her other hand. "Looking at the list?"

I waved a hand in disgust. "What the fuck else is there? Not like I can terrify the doctors into magically fixing Illyan."

And she needed a _lot_ of fixing. More than a day after our return and she was still in and out of surgery, and none of the docs had been sure if she'd ever leave the coma she'd fallen into. Asari regeneration had its limits, and she'd... done a real number on her own brain by flaring her biotics in the last moments of the fight. That was on top of the wounds she'd sustained, including getting her already torn up leg torn _apart,_ to the point where no one was really sure how she'd still been able to move... she'd probably been using her biotics for that too, explaining the sheer extent of her internal damage.

Shyeel settled into the chair across from me, kicking her feet up on my desk. "You want the full damage?"

I didn't. "...hit me."

She exhaled, took a swig of her drink, then set the bottle on the floor. "They're taking out what's left of the muscles in her thigh, they weren't healing. She lost those fingers too, so she'll be on anti-rejection and anti-regen drugs, probably for the rest of her life. They're still trying to check what parts of her brain got hit the worst... her sense of balance might be shot, maybe some motor control, they won't know for sure until she wakes up. She's done fighting, probably forever."

I let out a slow breath, lifting my glass again. "More?"

"Probably sterile, pegged the odds above seventy... might not even be able to meld anymore either." Shyeel shook her head tiredly. "About the only thing they're positive about is that she'll survive the surgeries, and that she'll eventually wake up. They want to keep her under for a few months at a minimum, try and see if her body can patch anything up in her head, but she'll make it."

Something eased in my chest, and my head fell back against my chair. "...good."

"Yeah." She murmured. "...figure they'll be transferring her to Novgorod soon. Guessing we're not going with?"

I shook my head. "And let Ayle talk us into working? Fuck no... I'm tired Shy... we're going on our vacation, and we'll take a second one when Illyan wakes up."

"That sounds like a plan... a good plan, for once." Shyeel said quietly. "How's Voya doing? Still asleep?"

"I may have slipped her the painkillers she was trying to avoid." I rolled a shoulder in a shrug, "She'll hit me later, but she needed the rest."

She smiled a little, the motion tugging at her scarring. "So long as she's not so pissed she won't make sure we get there alive."

I waved the concern away, "She'll be fine. It's the only place we can go and not be bothered and she knows it, even if she's a bit annoyed she won't risk ruining our first real break."

"You never know," Shyeel pointed out, "Voya's not really the vacation type."

No, she wasn't... but I thought she'd make an exception after the last few months. Past few years, really.

"Well... before we can plan that," I flicked my eyes to the reports again, exhaling out the emotions trying to well up again. "Should probably make things easier on Trena, pick out new squad leaders..."

"We could." She agreed, "But why bother?"

I rolled a shoulder, "It's my responsibility at the end of the day, much as I bloody hate it. Who gets squad one?"

My companion made a unhappy face, "More important question, who gets squad two? Deshi is cute but he's not a leader, neither is Herra."

A hand rose to rub at my temple as I grunted in agreement. "Mirala on team one, Jacqueline to two?"

Shyeel shrugged, "Works. Noru did a good enough job on four after Helir went down... probably safe to leave her there. Unless you want to reshuffle the actual teams around a bit?"

I grimaced, considering that. Right now we didn't _any_ teams that were combat capable, and that wasn't a good thing. "Rotate Washana and Kesi to squad three, that would give Aya five mostly upright soldiers to work with."

"Aya? She blinked a few times, "I figured you'd drag everyone to Mirala's team."

"Mirala," I said, "Has proven she can kick people's asses into shape, and I want Jacqueline and Noru to get used to leading."

Another lazy shrug, "Works for me... going to be weird to come back, find new people wearing the coats."

The various locked boxes in my head where I'd shoved most of my emotions rattled a few times, and I needed a moment to sip from my drink before I could reply evenly. "Weird is one word for it I guess."

Shyeel frowned, then winced. "...I really know how to say the wrong thing, don't I?"

"It's part of your charm." I replied dryly, "Maybe you can round out the shift by propositioning Voya for a threesome."

"It's on my to do list... as soon as you grow a pair of nice breasts." She countered.

"...thank you for that mental image." I shook my head, "...fuck it, I don't want to stare at this shit or think anymore. I've done enough work."

" _We've_ done enough work." My friend corrected me, getting her boots off of my desk and standing. "Time to get drunk and pass out."

I lifted an eyebrow, "Since when have you done any real work around here?"

"Does pouring drinks count?"

I considered that gravely for a few heartbeats, absently shutting my system down and tossing the tablet with the casualty numbers aside. "...maybe, depends on how many you pour."

She laughed at that, helping to haul me to my feet, the pair of us shuffling back into the old suite for probably the last time. I idly wondered who would be taking it over once our evacuation was completed, then decided that I really didn't give a shit. Someone from the Tersatani, but it didn't matter.

We'd just collapsed onto the living room's furniture when company arrived, Erana bustling in, closing the door behind her. "Shyeel, Dad."

"Told you not to call me that." I sighed, shifting back against the couch and getting comfortable. "Where's Jacqueline?"

"Asleep again." She reported, walking in our direction before hesitating. "I... just wanted to make sure you hadn't left yet."

That drew yet another sigh as I gave her a long look. "Erana... you can't come with. You need to stay near Illyan."

"I know." The gangly maiden replied, "I just didn't want you sneaking off or anything."

"I'm an ass but even I'm not _that_ much of an ass." I shook my head, then waved a hand at the couch. "Take a seat, you can be our designated sober person."

My surrogate daughter did so, groaning audibly as she sat down and stretched her long limbs out. "...it'll be weird, living somewhere else. Kind of got used to the place."

Shyeel shrugged, "I never really cared for it... nice Omega is still Omega. It'll be good to have a real sky, real homes. Speaking of, did she actually cancel it?"

"She better have." I muttered.

Erana giggled, a little weak maybe, but a giggle all the same. "No, she didn't. Miss Trena and Ghai already moved in with Ethy, they say its a very tasteful penthouse with an excellent view and capable security systems."

I fought the urge to groan. I'd wanted something small and simple like this, preferably a bit away from the core area, but Ayle had used her new authority to overrule my desires entirely. A multi-story penthouse with room for my entire team, Erana, and then Trena and Ghai had been set aside to 'honor' our roles in founding the corporation. It was also, purely by coincidence, located just a few blocks from the headquarters building and the new Lancer facility.

Right where Ayle would easily be able to track us down if we were trying to avoid doing any real work.

"It's also near the new medical center." Erana's voice turned quietly somber once again, "So if my sister has problems... we'll be right there."

I half closed my eyes, tipping back my glass of rum. "...Shy, get her a drink too."

Shyeel narrowed her eyes, "Someday I'm going to kill you for shortening my name, you know that right?"

My left hand made a shooing gesture, "Less bitching, more fetching of rum."

She flicked a finger at me, a tiny bit of biotic power knocking my head back and making Erana smile a little once again, but she got off her blue ass to fetch more drinks all the same. Rum, whiskey, and brandy flowed in equal measure, Erana politely sipping from hers while Shyeel and I mostly focused on getting good and drunk.

Illyan was going to make it, that was worth getting drunk over.

Friends had died in a fight we hadn't truly wanted, that was also worth getting drunk over.

The Collectors were dead... and the Reapers were coming, which meant shit was about go get complicated. This would be our last chance to drink, to relax, to unwind for the first time in seven years... for Athame knew how many more years to come.

When I collapsed into bed with Voya, pulling my lover against me... it was with the knowledge that for once... there was nothing waiting for us tomorrow.

* * *

 _ **End: Another Realm VII - Hellhounds**_

* * *

 _ **And on that short and happy note... we are at an end. I struggled far more with this particular story than I did with almost any of the others, particularly after the second act or so... and I think it adversely affected the quality of it as the burn-out with the characters and setting finally caught up to me after six stories. Hopefully everyone still enjoyed it, even if I'm not entirely satisfied with how it turned out. In hindsight... I think I may have misstepped in bringing AR back towards canon after so long avoiding it, and Shepard, but what's done is done.**_

 ** _As usual, I won't give a time frame for the next story. Due to a few changes to who survived the final battle, the plot needs to be shuffled around a bit to make sense... and I may end up folding Twilight into Gotterdamerung entirely. Not sure yet, but don't be surprised if AR:8 is posted as the final story. I'm going to try and start alternating my writing between Student of Vacuo and AR, so hopefully another long hiatus will be avoided... but I can't promise anything._**

 ** _Thanks as usual to The Blocked Writer for acting as my beta, and sticking around despite my long hiatus and occupation with other stories. Thanks to GreaterGoodIreland for creating the old tropes page, and thanks to anyone else whose edited it or talked about this story elsewhere._**

 ** _Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, read, and stuck with me through seven freaking stories of this. You guys and girls are awesome._**

 ** _Semper Victoria,_**

 ** _Kat_**


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